I grew up in the South Bronx in the early 1990s. We had no galleries in the Bronx then. It was still in the days before the gentrifiers discovered the Bronx as a place where art could thrive. But there WAS art and it was everywhere!

I remember riding the 4 train and seeing huge colorful bubble letters, “COPE” it read. To a young creative kid, the colors were inspiring and the bubble letters were classic. To an inner city teenager, the words really hit home. Cope. Learn to deal with those things that are difficult in your life – And in the Bronx, there were many.

In the inner city Cope2 was considered a Robin Hood – taking back the ad space taken up by big corporations like Nike, who were just “robbing hoods.” Cope2’s tag were tactical. They cruised on the old red trains across the city. They were found on billboards. Cope spread the message through out the Bronx. Be proactive. Cope.

Top Left: Cope2 working on one of his street pieces. Top Right: Cope on the 4 Train.
Above Left: Cope2 in the United Kingdon Above Right: Colorful Bubble Letter Scheme
Below: A sneaker design for the Pro Keds line.

For September’s First Thursday, a friend and I, cameras in hand, hit the streets of San Francisco to check out the latest greatest artwork to cover the walls of galleries up and down the city’s Financial District area. Many openings were popping but my two favorites were the Serena Cole and Andrew Schoultz exhibitions. I fancied Serena Cole’s larger than life watercolor portraits at 111 Minna- my favorite gallery/bar in the city! Cole’s subjects are beautiful. They seem to come alive from the paper, having transported from a time long long ago. There are dark undertones in each piece that Serena uses to “illustrate the haunting themes beneath our worshiped fantasies.” Each piece is captivating and the girls appear almost as ghosts from a mirror. The hair is marvelous as the watercolors drip, blend and separate creating multicolored pools of flowing locks.

I was also pretty excited to see the new stuff by Andrew Schoultz at the Marx & Zavattero Gallery, which he had completely transformed. Proudly sporting a Luggage Store t-shirt, Shoultz mingled with friends an colleagues as little red dots were placed next pieces on the price list. The show had a very political theme and many of his works utilized cut up dollar bills to create movement alongside American icons such as the US Flag and the Statue of Liberty. Schoultz says, “I have used these images to tell stories about everyday life in America, filtering political commentary through the forms of graffiti art and underground comics, fused with clip art from the early 1900’s and medieval renderings that chart the history of man and nature.” A reoccurring theme in his work is the relationship between man and nature which is also present here. The instillations are so cool! A must see if you’re in the area or plan to be in the upcoming few weeks.

Adam Neate is said to be one of Britain’s most exacting emerging artists and I believe it. He paints on practcally everything but I find his work with cardboard boxes and other recycled materials the most interesting. His subjects are figurative and abstract with beautiful splashes of color, overlapping lines and forms, and negative space that are in some ways reminiscent of Basquiat. Neate’s work is featured at Elms Lesters in London. His first show with them in 2006, titled Hype, was a success as all of his subsequent exhibitions there have resulted in completely sold out shows! he has also been recognized throughout the art world and is collected internationally with admirers around the globe.

Not only is Neate a master at technique but a true sharer of his work. He is said to have left over 1,000 pieces out on the streets of London for people to take home and enjoy! What a treat it would be to come across one, hanging on the wall around the corner or propped against a lamppost. Neate also does street murals for all enjoy, talk about giving back to your community! This reminded me of a statement by Swoon commenting on the importance of her street art and it’s potential for making art accessible to everyone. In this, she made an interesting point about how her her private sales are important because they allow her to continue with her street work and to truly share her artwork with everyone, not just the elite few who can afford it. This is what I’m talking about!