YES WE CAN!!

I just finished this one. We are ready for a change

Who is Alan Algee?

I came across this video on Youtube while doing a research on Dilla. I could only found out the name of the director of the video, Alan Algee, but couldn't get any further information about him. This video bridges music video and performance art ... perhaps another of Dilla's legacy of inspiring and opening minds to experimentation in a major way.

KALEIDA ---this kaleidoscopic video mediation/human mandala is the bomb... a reminder of back in the days when I used to love to draw mandalas.

check out some of his other cool videos on Alan Algee's youtube page.

i heART NEW YORK! part 2

Below are some gems from my trips to the art shows I visited this past two months.

First, here are some images I'd like to share from PULSE, which was one of the major fairs beside BRIDGE that were happening in the apple at the end of March.

My friend and fellow artist (peep his dope work here), Rodney and I checked out what's new at PULSE. All in all, both PULSE and BRIDGE had a pretty large selection of fantastic work and some forgettable pieces as well.










Like the Washington portrait made of different currencies that I was digging at BRIDGE, these pieces play with optical illusion...this SPOCK image on the left is made of thread rolls!! Cameron Gray's piece took me by surprise...I only picked up the face when I looked into my camera's view finder. pretty brilliant.


an intimate look into life in the matrix...

one of Rodney's picks...cyber architecture meets the developing world

this massive 88" x 177" piece by Asgar (?) was one of my favorites.

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Then, there was "COME CORRECT", curated by legendary Bronx-bred graffiti artist, COPE2.

I loved the fact that a sizeable portion of the crowd was probably under 20...finally, there are more art events that get the new generation of artists and audience out too see art. Street art and all its offshoots are the new pop art movement...soon the official art establishment is going to catch up and will crown the new Warhols and Lichtensteins and Basquiats...until then, we've got a still-growing, breathing, expanding global movement that haven't been completely co-opted and tamed by the mainstream. And let's not forget that we've gotta thank hip-hop for being at the root of all this!

on the left, Cope2 repping his piece

i'm wondering when is there going to be a Fafi cartoon series?

Ashley is gangsta....

hmmm...

packing it....i love the SHOWROOM, (I was part of the COLLABRO show there last year), but it's way too small!



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And last but not least, I had a chance to see the opening of the Joshua Liner's Gallery, another new show space in Chelsea's industrial art quarter. (Again, thanks to Steve Psyllos, fellow artist and my brilliant managing editor at TRACE, who forwarded me the invite.) Mr. Liner was co-founder of Philly's Lineage Gallery that represented some of my favorite artists, so when I heard that it closed it's doors, I was pretty disappointed...is the art consumer world still not ready for the new art movement that has way surpassed its incubatory, underground phase (though it keeps on getting new blood from the street)?

I was happy to find out that he's bringing his eyes for new art to New York City, a natural destination for anyone who is trying to make it in the art business. The Joshua Liner Gallery is a welcome addition to the growing number of galleries in the city representing next generation art, whatever you might call it--- lowbrow, pop surrealist, street, urban. Yeah yeah, no one likes boxes. The terms are still fluid and people are not 100% comfortable with them, but they make a relative reference point. Ok, so check some of my favorites.

These three below I call the Top3D series...they are all ingenius in the way they achieved a subtle sense of depth that will make you want to have a tactile encounter with an illusion. I like to get really close to the canvas, and I admit I spent a lot of time in front of this beautiful piece, entitled 'Powerhouse' by Robert Hardgrave aka Farmerbob. I love the layers, the blending and balancing of colors and the way he creates a dreamy sense of 3D with using a collage technique.

Oliver Vernon's 'Temple Alps' is another surreal trip. it's pretty mindblowing the way he's got one's eyes tricked with the false distances.

Futura's piece has the same effect...it is actually super hard to achieve this kind of illusion of depth with such minimal use of lines

two very different take on the female form. on the left Aiko Nakagawa's pop piece will be a sure seller. Ben Tour's dark and trippy stigmata-ridden 'Devil May Cry' is unsettling.

I loved David Choong Lee's Mindscape. pretty amazing.

Who else could rep your portrait better than the model itself? On the left, it looks like the young model of Ron English's amazing portrait has found the perfect spot to chill while the adult world was schmoozing around the corner. On the right, there is another trippy 3D mindblow; Damon Soule's 'Bird Brother' is another genius work.


Ron English's massive Superpop Cowgirl Guernica is a flip on Picasso's classic Guernica piece. This is only a detail and my camera doesn't do any justice to this dope piece.

Kenji Hirata's eye candy in the background.

If you are interested in art along this line, you should also check out another Chelsea-based art space, the Jonathan Levine Gallery. Interestingly, the JLG is another Philly import, but Mr. Levine has made the move to NYC back in 2005. I can't wait to see the solo shows of Camille Rose Garcia, Doze Green, Blek the Rat, and James Jean!

BODY FREAK or GOVERNATOR?

...either way, don't let Arnie whip your ass

RECON:sider

My fellow TRACEr, Prince and I went on a trip around the corner from our office to interview the peeps at the RECON store (one of the oldest exclusive kick shops around the area) about what's making ripples on the sneak scene.

Angel lays it down





what...turquoise faux snake skin? i want them!

MY GILRFRIENDS RULE!: KIRA & CHESCA

My first encounter with Kira back in 2005 was so intense that we waited a year to discover each other again. It was all worth the wait. This Chicago-bred nightingale shines wherever she goes, and she's got the whole deal: she writes, sings and produces her own songs. You may have heard her sultry voice providing some extra aural sweetness to BQEZ, her jazzy-funk-hip-hop band based in Boston/Brooklyn. She has been working hard on her much-anticipated solo album scheduled to come out this year. She is and will remain my one and only classy freak.
KIRA
songstress, poetess, muse, sexiest tech nerd, stylist, supawoman!//////////////////////////
WHAT DO YOU DO? Singer/Songwriter/Software Developer/Fashionista
TRUE BEAUTY IS…balance
BEATS…are addictive
TRUE SEXY IS…depth
MUSIC IS MY…heart
ART DOES NOT…dictate
MY NIGHTS ARE…restless
THESE 3 TURN ME ON…music ... and girls girls girls ... and whiskey ... and dancing ... and spandex ... and platform boots ... do I have to choose just 3?
SELF-KNOWLEDGE …is like the air.
ENOUGH OF …judgement
MY CREATIVITY IS…boundless
TRUE POWER IS…unwavering belief
LIFE CAN BE THE...the test of your vision and the unexpected delight of your senses
TO LOVE IS TO…be selfless in your generosity and bold in your vulnerability.
I'VE GOT FLOW BECAUSE….i feed my soul and follow my intuition.

Check the technique here.
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I first heard about Chesca from my homie, disco jockey Kon. I actually never met her, but she definitely deserves to be highlighted here. Hailing from the land of Italo Disco, this lovely diva is bringing back the fattest analog sounds and boogie grooves... she is one of the new artists to watch in 2008.

CHESCA

electro queen, singer, songwriter, fashionista, DJ/////////////////////////////////////////
WHAT DO YOU DO? i make music. i dj. i write. i try to sing.
i also sell fluorescent briefs to hipsters to pay my bills.
WHERE ARE YOU FROM? WHERE ARE YOU AT? i was born and raised in Southern Italy but I've been moving around a lot.
right now I'm in London.
TRUE BEAUTY IS…innocence.
BEATS…i enjoy making them.
TRUE SEXY IS…my new mixtape called Chesca's System.
Out really soon.
MUSIC IS MY…salvation.
ART DOES NOT…say anything, it suggests only.
MY NIGHTS ARE…way too short.
THESE 3 TURN ME ON…alcohol,dark skin,belladonna.ooops
SELF-KNOWLEDGE…mmm yeah
ENOUGH OF …rain. clouds. fuckin uk.
MY CREATIVITY IS…strictly connected to my hormones.
TRUE POWER IS…sitting in a room doing nothing
and being totally confortable with it.
LIFE CAN BE ...good.sometimes.
TO LOVE IS TO…forget about your damn self.
I'VE GOT FLOW BECAUSE….im honest.
THE WOMAN OF THE FUTURE…will have easily replaceble components.
WHERE CAN WE REACH YOU?lately on the 149 around Shoreditch.
yeah, at www. myspace. com/cescamusica

LICHIBAN RECOMMENDS: 4/18-4/19

FRIDAY: SPINNA's parties are a must...this one is going to be big! Last time he had his Stevie Wonder party, anyone who stayed until 4:30am were in for a huge treat when Stevie showed up to bless the event. Listen to Spinna's Prince vs. Micheal Jackson mix from a previous show. Don't miss this one.



SATURDAY:
My homies, legendary crate digging duo Kon & Amir's Off Track mix series of rarer than rare joints will be seeing the release of its highly anticipated 2nd edition this summer on BBE Music. In honor of the art of record digging, Amir will be spinning an all vinyl block party set in front of Halcyon Records in Brooklyn as a part of the Record Store Day celebration. Off Track Volume 1: The Bronx is out now on BBE.
I had a chance to listen to the record...it is pure HEAT!! Lovers of rare disco, boogie, afrobeat and latin jazz...this is must have record.

Saturday April 19th @ Halcyon Records (57 Pearl St. @ Water, DUMBO)
Record Store Day Celebration w/ Amir, DJ Too Tuff, A. Frog
1:00 - 7:00 PM, all ages, FREE

and then at night
Saturday, April 19th
Kon & Amir at APT

MY NEW WORK: I dream in color

I've been working on a series for a while. Here are some details...Holla, if you want to do a collab or would like to commission me for a new piece in the same vein.
1-2 "Metamorphosis 1-2" , 3-4 "Sheila Stole Her Lovers Gear" & "Follow the Leader"

ART SHOW to help raise for Liberian Women Higher Education Movement

Beside the Future Arts exhibit this weekend, my work also be on display at the The Juah Higher Education Movement (JHEM) Collaborative Art Exhibit, opening on April 19th in the Front Room Gallery. I'm always down to participate in art shows with a higher cause.

Curated by my good friend and amazing photographer, Mohi Sillah, the show will focus on bringing artists from all genres together for a single
purpose of raising funds to finance the higher education of 5 young
women in Liberia. Mohi have asked many artists to donate pieces of their
work, or a specified percentage of their proceeds to fund JHEM. The
funds will be used exclusively to educate and empower young women,
thereby changing the professional landscape, diversifying the
workforce, and ultimately creating the right environment to allow
young women to succeed during and after college in Liberia.

When ask about the drive behind setting up the Foundation and organizing the art show, Mohi explains "I have been asked many times why this is important to me; it is important because history tells me that since the founding of Liberia,
the under-representation of women in its workforce has been a
persistent problem. My grandmother, for whom this organization is
named, was pulled out of school at the age of 10 so that her family
could instead invest in the education of her brother. My own firsthand experience in secondary school, having seen two female
classmates (12 - 15yrs old) pulled out of school and forced into early marriages, has further confirmed the gravity and pervasiveness of this problem."

The first exhibit will be held for one month beginning on April 19, 2008 at the Boston Ba'hai Center. In addition to the display and sale of several works of visual arts, opening night will be accompanied by a performing artist. For more info check here.

My APRIL artshows: sneak preview

This is one of the pieces I am submitting to one of the shows coming up this April. Stay tuned, more is on the way....

Future Arts 2008 Art Exhibition

FUTURE ARTS 2008 @ The Boston Center For The Arts
539 Tremont Street Boston, MA
Saturday, April 19, 2008 // 8PM - 1AM

Future Classic, UFO HEFEWEIZEN & PABST BLUE RIBBON Present:

FUTURE ARTS 2008

Future Classic is proud to announce the official launch party for its latest art brand, FUTURE ARTS on Saturday, April 19, 2008! Come witness the future of urban artwork in America as over 25 artists from North America converge onto The Boston Center For The Arts for one night only on SATURDAY, APRIL 19.

Featuring the following artists:
Alphabet Soup, Alone1, Andy Regan, BIGFOOT, Brian Butler, Canneen Canning, Chas Reed, Courtney Moy, Damion Silver, Dana Woulfe, Darryl Blood, Dave Tree, Ed Thomas, Enamel Kingdom, Fish McGill, Ivan Cofield, Hocus, Jessica Hess, Kenji Nakayama, Kim Harris, Kyle Bryant, Lichiban, Lisa Gilman, Lizmatic, Mike Howard, Mitchell Mano, Patrick Pollard, Peter Moscaritolo, Rebecca Greene, Rob Larsen, Sara Theophall, Shayna Shenanigans, Sho Murase, Steph Love, Yuko Adachi

Featuring AERIALIST/ACROBAT Mathew Brouillard performing live! 7PM - 8PM VIP RECEPTION sponsored by UFO HEFEWEIZEN (valid for the first 200 advance ticket purchasers only)

TICKETS ARE ONLY $10 IN ADVANCE!! (plus $2.00 ticketing fee) $20 @ THE DOOR. Tickets are non-refundable.

Top Street Style Event Returns to Boston
Legends of Style announces April 26th date
Boston MA, March 27, 2008: Legends of Style, an event based brand showcasing urban art, dance, music and fashion, has partnered with Scion to launch its 2008 series of nation-wide events in Boston. "Our 2008 Boston show will raise the bar ", said Legends of Style executive producer Kyle Moran. "From the start we have been all about exposing the hottest new artists and our show this year will be no different." Attracting almost 1,000 attendees per event, Legends of Style is a four-year old event featuring urban inspired artists, top deejays, dance performances and hot new fashion.

The complimentary Saturday showcase will feature interactive painting with select artists, a Scion painting exhibition and a b-boy workshop with members of the renowned Floorlords Urban Dance Theater. With top local, national and international artists already confirmed Legends of Style 2007 promises to be a highlight of Boston's art and culture event calendar.

Legends of Style 2008 - Boston
April 26th at the Boston Center for the Arts
Afternoon Showcase 12:00 - 4:00
Main Event - Doors Open at 7pm
Tickets available at www.LegendsOfStyle.net

LOVE WITHOUT BORDERS: Art show in San Diego!!

The World at Large / / Love Without Borders

In May, I'll be part of a group show in San Diego, curated by THE LOVE MOVEMENT, an amazing art collective working the LA art scene. I own three pieces from TLM, so I'm an official TLM collector, I guess. TLM's works combine political messages angled to wake up one's conscience with a philosophy of "love is the way", which of course I support to the fullest. And they actually get down to do the hard work of fundraising and using art for a cause. TLM is the way!
[thanks for TLM for using my piece for the flyer]

from the press release:

International love goes local as Limbo Fine Art Gallery hosts The Love Movement and other prominent street/surf artists in a show to benefit the International Humanity Foundation

San Diego, CA - Feb. 25, 2008 – How can street/surf art on the edge help kids on the fringes? By erasing the borders between them. Los Angeles-based artists’ collective The Love Movement (or TLM) has a history of creating art with that purpose, using funds from art sales to purchase school supplies and build a community well in a village in Benin, Africa. When long-time International Humanity Foundation (or IHF) volunteer Amy Thom first met TLM artists in 2006, she immediately recognized an opportunity to work together, using the energy of the art community to raise money for IHF’s children abroad.


Early last year, TLM dedicated a portion of art sales from an LA show to the sponsorship of three schoolchildren in Bali, Indonesia, supporting their individual educations for an entire year. In September 2007, Amy visited those children while she was volunteering with IHF overseas, bringing them notebooks, clothes and the knowledge that artists across an ocean believe in their ability to create personal success through art and education.
In May 2008, IHF and TLM will be working together again to spread the love and raise money for the education and empowerment of kids abroad. Given that IHF’s home offices are in San Diego, Amy wanted to open the city’s doors to TLM and other collaborating artists, bringing the best of graphic talent from California and NYC to Limbo Fine Art Gallery in Hillcrest.

The World at Large / / Love Without Borders will showcase an amazing lineup of internationally-shown artists: Michael De Feo, Wolfgang Bloch, Alex Knost, Tyler Warren, Ben Brough – 33, Andrew Sarnecki - Hippytree, Hovin Wang, Paul Lefevre – Polish, Micke Tong, Thundercut, Abe Lincoln Jr., Lichiban, eight-year-old Reece V., Meredith Ambruso, Guy Quezada, Jon Ho, Karen Jones and of course, TLM.
The opening reception of The World at Large / / Love Without Borders is Saturday, May 17, 2008, from 7pm to 12am at Limbo Fine Art Gallery, 1432 University Avenue, San Diego. Cover charge is $10 at the door with a hosted bar provided by Hangar One Vodka and Stone Brewing, live dj, and giveaways all night. All proceeds to benefit IHF. The show runs from May 10 to June 1, and is open to the public on Saturdays and Sundays. Interested parties can contact Limbo at 619.316.2239 to arrange a private viewing.

For more information, please visit:
www.ihfonline.org www.limboarts.com www.tlmphilly.com

The International Humanity Foundation is a San Diego-based 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that provides free education and community leadership development, as well as operates orphanages and famine feeds, for the poorest of the world’s poor in Indonesia, Thailand and Kenya. IHF’s offices are 100% volunteer-run and all monies raised go directly to fund its overseas programs.

Here is a lil sneak preview of a 4-piece collaborative project I'm working on with Jelsen Jargon (featured earlier on My Homies Rule). That is actually him as a kid.

MY HOMIES RULE TOO: Boris Chang Jr.

Boris is the real deal. He is another one of my friends who wows me each time I see a product of his creativity. He is a living, breathing, walking idea lab who's got that extra touch of warmth passed down from many generations of mamas in his family. Boris is a taste maker and he knows how to put a lasting smile on your face...Beside, he is one of the most brilliant graphic/apparel/web designers I've come across. If you don't believe me, check his website ihearboris.com yourself.

Boris AKA Boris Chang Jr //////////////////////////////////////////////////////
[ artist extraordinaire, graphic & apparel designer by trade (Triple 5 Soul, Puma ), enterpreneur, future CEO of sexy workaholics ltd... got crazy bboy moves, skates like Pharell, and is known to be a true friend]
WHAT DO YOU DO? Permalancer / Apparel Graphics Designer / Woman Advisor
WHERE ARE YOU FROM? My mommy's tummy. I rep NYC. Why yes. I do.
TRUE BEAUTY IS…the sounds of feet walking on wet payment. Something about Fuzzy street lights and droplets hanging on tree branches that makes it all perfect at that one moment.
BEATS…Instead of listing my favorite shitty punk bands, new wave favs, 80s songs, rappers from Queens, and asian singers you will never know...
I'll just let you know that the current song my ipod bangs is: Shannon - Give Me Tonight.
TRUE SEXY IS…No makeup, no camera, just a smile and a attitude. Okay maybe something to cover your pelvic region.
MUSIC IS MY…soundtrack of life. It's on when I wake up, when I sleep, and when I dream. It is the sound of traffic and my parents arguing. I never said all music was good ;)
ART DOES NOT…have to imitate life. Or on a piece of paper. Or in a gallery. Or in someone's toilet.
MY NIGHTS ARE…long and need to be longer. They consist of talking to my baby girl when I'm not whoring it out on myspace and facebook. True story.
THESE 3 TURN ME ON…Bonnie Jean, Polaroids, and Succeeding.
SELF-KNOWLEDGE …is king.
ENOUGH OF …the complaining. More ideas, less opinions.
MY CREATIVITY IS…drawn from my surroundings. Everything has art, but not everyone sees it.
TRUE POWER IS…discipline.
LIFE CAN BE THE...gift and the curse.
TO LOVE IS TO…understand and know when to let go, and when to hold on.
I'VE GOT FLOW BECAUSE…I've got heart.
THE WOMAN OF THE FUTURE WILL...bear my children.
WHERE TO FIND YOU? on the internet. Or on some random city street. www.myspace.com/iheartboris
All it takes is a little <3.
Ok, so I had a chance to pick Boris' brain about his latest projects. I came across MADCREEPY/CREEP STREET --his adventure into the entertainment biz with partner, Chip--- some time ago.... it's a monster! Their CREEP STREET blog never fails to disturb, upset, get you grossed out and, most importantly, make you bust out the heartiest laughs. Take it with your daily vitamin supplements.

Lichiban: So was Creep Street born out of a nightmare?
Boris: Creep Street™ was actually conceived in mid 2006 when my partner and I, then working at a sports lifestyle company were always talking about current trends in the street-wear scene, and how there were so many great ideas that weren't quite executed to our standards. With us being 80's babies, living in the 90's and rocking out in the 2000's we quickly clicked for the love of neon colors, monster movies, skateboarding, dinosaurs, food, bad commercials and basically weird & creepy irrelevant things that were ultimately poor in taste. With that being said and always wanting to start our own project - it was only proper to call ourselves Creep Street™!

[photo:stolen from the Creep Street blog]
We are our favorite movies, TV shows, and current hollywood tabloids combined with the raddest of colors, love for gore, horror, b-movies, hip-hop, rock, and pretty much everything your parents told you not to do. We get epic and hope you do too! Make sure you peep www.madcreepy.com & check our blog out too! http://creepstreet.blogspot.com

What's new in 2008? More rad tees and creeptastic accessories. We're not planning on going anywhere soon, so expect super epic things!
We plan on a full fledged cut-n-sew line, and in addition childhood recreations and home decor! (it's a creepy secret)....so keep them eyes open!


You can currently find us at www.Karmaloop.com, BODEGA Boston, The Bassment UK, Disorderly House Salt Lake City, and Future of Style San Diego.
We are expanding, so grab ya deck and ride wit' some real G's!!