New gallery allows New Yorkers to "buy" street art

New York City is home to some of the world's most unique and impressive street art. Housed on the sides of buildings and in the subway, street art infiltrates the lives of city-dwellers publicly and for free.

However, a new gallery in NYC called Wall(m)-art aims to make these public works privately owned.

For a mere $150, anyone over the age of 18 can browse the online collection and purchase his/her own work or have a customized work made. Instead of taking the work home, the buyer of the art will be rewarded with a beautiful frame, a personalized plaque and a proof of ownership title.

The legality of the operation is fuzzy, but the self-described "gallery and auction house" has already sold a few pieces in Brooklyn.

Whether or not the artists or building owners are awarded a cut of the profit is unclear. However, the website does make careful efforts to explain that once the purchase has been made, no refunds will be offered. Wall(m)-art also states that while they cannot offer any refunds, they are "off the hook" regardless of what happens to the paintings or laws after the purchase is made.

Although this particular "gallery" hints at some sketchy behavior, the idea of buying or selling street art raises questions about art in the public domain that are worth considering.

Auctioning and framing graffiti in New York works off the claim that street art is, indeed, art and not just vandalism.  However, are there any rights of ownership to a work that is inherently breaking the rules through its existence? Does the art belong to the artist, the building owner, the passerby patrons, or does the art belong to a third-party who makes a stake and auctions the piece out?

Creating works to exist in the public domain implies a sense of communal ownership, but this means that the artists often goes unpaid and unrecognized for their efforts. Yet, with Wall(m)-art's tricky fine print and murky business practices, New York may have to consider new legislation outlining ownership of art commissioned illegally in the public domain.

Sources: PSFK, Wall(m)-Art
All images from Wall(m)-Art website.

Brazilian artists use World Cup to speak out

For many, the World Cup was the perfect opportunity to celebrate one’s nation, uniting to root for the same team. For others, it was a chance to communicate with the world through art.

The street artists in Brazil took the world’s spotlight to showcase their street art and to communicate globally salient messages. From national pride to political criticism, the street art of Brazil eliminated language barriers and sparked conversation all around the world.

Here are some examples of some notable examples of Brazilian street art during the 2014 World Cup.

This mural by Paulo Ito is probably the most circulated image of street art during Brazil's World Cup. The politically charged image highlights the poverty plaguing Brazilians.

This painting by A.Signl and B.Shanti represents the burden of hosting the World Cup on Brazilian citizens. 

Many hands are shown helping to hold up Brazil and the world in this mural in Sao Paulo. 

This work by Cranio comments on the public money spent frivolously on the World Cup. 

Street artist Jambeiro refers to Brazilian soccer player Givanildo Vieira, "Hulk," in this street mural. 

To see more views of the street art in Brazil, check out this compilation on Google Maps. 

"Use Art to Turn the World Inside Out"

The story of the French street artist who goes by the name JR is not unlike that of most graffiti artists. At the age of 15, equipped with a can of spray paint, he began scribbling his name on every building he came across. He never viewed his activity as an art form, rather as a way of making his mark on history. Over time, JR began photographing his adventures and those of his friends. But then something changed. At the age of 25, JR found himself in the midst of the social unrest that was taking place in Paris. He decided it was a time for change, and he began contributing the only way he knew how. With the use of paste and a photocopier, JR began illegally posting massive portraits of Parisian “thugs” on the walls of city buildings. The public was confronted with towering images of the people they feared most and sought to avoid. JR used his art silently to provoke conversation. During his 2011 lecture for the TED organization, he commented that, “it was there that I learned the power of paper and glue. So could art change the world?”

Since then, JR has viewed the world as his gallery space, using everything from streetcars to synagogues as his canvas. He pastes up portraits of members of the community as a way to raise questions. He is interested in documenting the community, not the conflict, which is what separates him from most photojournalists. He has traveled to the Middle East during the heart of the Palestinian conflict and to war-torn nations in Africa. When anyone asked what he was doing, he simply responded with, “art. I’m just doing art.”

Due to the nature of the medium, his work becomes the property of the viewer after he leaves. Decay is part of the process. The passer-by is welcome to graffiti over his work and, over time, weather wears the image down to nothing more than a memory. His art is not meant to change the world; it is meant to change the way we see the world.

He said, “What we see changes who we are. So I hope that, together, we’ll create something that the world will remember. And this starts right now and depends on you.”

Living Walls Conference

Go ahead and mark your calendar for the Living Walls Conference, set to take place August 13-15 in Atlanta. Focused entirely on street artists, it also incorporates an exhibition of their work, drawing from artists all over the globe. On August 13, there's a lecture series, which will be held at Georgia Tech. Saturday, August 14, there will be an exhibition and Pecha Kucha-style presentations held at Eyedrum gallery. The exhibition of poster art, wall painting and wheat-paste will be open through the end of September. Check out the website!