'Art In The Streets' Opens at MOCA - With Controversy and Anticipation

Art in the Streets opened at MOCA in Los Angeles recently. It is the first major U.S. museum survey of graffiti and street art.

But at what cost? Exploitation to the masses may not get the respect and understanding originally intended. The original LA mural was removed because of complaints, Revok was arrested, and the list goes on...

Artist Blu was commissioned to do a huge mural on a wall outside of the MOCA,

but it was buffed' due to complaints.

Blu hard at work on the massive mural,

This is the massive mural before it was buffed...

Artist JR is know for work like this recent Mural in LA

REVOK doing his thing in Hawaii (Info - Free Revok)

Curated by MOCA Director Jeffrey Deitch and Associate Curators Roger Gastman and Aaron Rose, the exhibition will outline the development of graffiti and street art from the 1970s to the global movement it has become today, focussed on key cities such as New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, London, and Sao Paulo, where a distinctive visual language or attitude has developed. The exhibition will include paintings, mixed media sculptures, and interactive installations by more than 50 of the most influential artists and will highlight Los Angeles's role in the evolution of graffiti and street art, with special sections dedicated to seminal local movements such as cholo graffiti and Dogtown skateboard culture. A comprehensive timeline illustrated with artwork, photos, video, and ephemera will provide a historical context for the work.

In other words it will be a massive collection of work from the most influential 'underground' visual creators of modern time...

This mural protest street art piece was photographed in Los Angeles

This is a list of the Artist (I mean 'SERIOUS'!!!)

ALEXIS ROSS, ANDRE, A-ONE, BARRY MCGEE, BEAR 167, BILL DANIEL, BILL RAY, BLADE, CHARLIE AHEARN, CHAZ BOJORQUEZ, COCO144, COST, CRAIG COSTELLO, CRAIG R. STECYK III, CRASH, DAN MURPHY, DASH SNOW, DAZE, DELTA, DEVIN FLYNN, DON LEICHT, DONDI, DRUGS, ED TEMPLETON, EINE, ERIK BRUNETTI, ESTEVAN ORIOL, FAB 5 FREDDY, FREEDOM, FUTURA, GORDON MATTA-CLARK, GUSMANO CESARETTI, HAZE, HENRY CHALFANT, HOWARD GRIBBLE, HUGH HOLLAND, INVADER, IRAK, IZ THE WIZ, JAMIE REID, JAMES PRIGOFF, JANE DICKSON, JEAN-MICHEL BASQUIAT, JOHN AHEARN, JOHN FEKNER, JON NAAR, JOSH LAZCANO, JR, KAWS, KEITH HARING, KENNY SCHARF, KIELY JENKINS, KOOR, LADY PINK, LARRY CLARK, LEE QUINONES, LOOMIT, MALCOLM MCLAREN, MARE 139, MARGARET KILGALLEN, MARK GONZALES, MARTHA COOPER, MISS VAN, MISTER CARTOON, MODE 2, NECKFACE, NOC, OS GEMEOS, PATTI ASTOR, PHASE 2, RAMMELLZEE, RETNA, REVOK, REVOLT, REVS, RISK, ROA, ROBBIE CONAL, RON ENGLISH, SABER, SHARP, SHEPARD FAIREY, SJK171, SNAKE 1, SPIKE JONZE, STELIOS, STEPHEN POWERS, STEVE GRODY, SWOON, TAKI 183, TEEN WITCH, TERRY RICHARDSON, TODD JAMES, TOXIC, TRACY 168, ZEPHYR,...plus one extra bonus artist.

A small section of BARRY MCGEE's NYC Mural

One of the 'Art In the Streets' Artist is a friend of mine, German Artist LOOMIT

He is featured in my coffee table book (Expressions Book One South Africa) during his travels to SA.

This is LOOMIT painting in South Africa

Check out his site - www.loomit.de/

That's all you get for now...

Enjoy-

Here are some links to more articles -

About Opening -

http://www.thecorsaironline.com/lifestyle/art-in-the-streets-exhibit-opens-at-moca-1.2209001

About Controversy -

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5h2JwQGm9MV4GjHwMGNPD15o8xKNg?docId=bc58cf8207504710ad8e43d791e6887a

http://articles.latimes.com/2011/apr/28/entertainment/et-la-street-art-curator-20110428

Free Revok - Well Know Los Angeles Graffiti Artist Arrested

FREE REVOK T-SHIRT

The graffiti Artist known as Revok, whose work is displayed in the “Art in the Streets” exhibit at the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art, was sentenced Monday to 180 days in jail after a judge found that he had violated the terms of his probation in a previous vandalism conviction.

Jason Williams aka Revok, appeared in a Van Nuys courtroom Monday where he was found to have violated his probation on a misdemeanor vandalism charge by failing to pay adequate restitution to his victims, according to prosecutors. Williams was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport last Thursday as he prepared to board a plane for Ireland.

His arrest came amid controversy surrounding the museum’s “Art in the Streets” graffiti and street art exhibition, which the Los Angeles Police Department and Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department have criticized as promoting vandalism and tagging.

Sheriff’s investigators said they are conducting a wide investigation into Revok.

“As a result of evidence discovered during his April 21 arrest, other incidents of vandalism were found in the county of Los Angeles,” said Capt. Mike Parker.

Investigators said the L.A. County district attorney’s office could file felony charges against Williams, who was arrested by a sheriff’s transit team that specializes in catching vandals.

The team recently arrested Cristian Gheorghiu, also known as Smear, another tagger-turned-artist. Gheorghiu received 45 days’ community service for violating his probation. He was arrested two days after The Times published a story on his life as an artist with tagging roots.

Revok is among the best known and boldest taggers in Los Angeles. Williams, a one-time member of the graffiti crew “Mad Society Kings” or MSK, was arrested in 2009 in Melbourne, Australia, after a series of highly publicized large pieces. A resident of the Fairfax district, Williams was placed on probation for felony vandalism in 2009 during the Coachella music festival.

He also was arrested in November 2009 by deputies near the 33rd Graffiti Art Store, where images of his graffiti were featured. During a later search of Williams’ home, deputies found several hundred paint cans, a police badge and a fire extinguisher — a tool commonly used for applying large tags.

They also found a stolen detour sign and digital photos of his graffiti work on his phone.

His bail was set for an astounding $320,000, which is more than any of the other cases in LA over the past 2 months including number of major assaults, rapes and few charges of molestation.

Do they want us to think of artistic displays of expression and creativity as criminal?

Support the freedom of creativity however you can...

For more about REVOK visit -

http://revok1.com/