The Self Immolation fo Thic Quang Duc, by New York artist, Once 5 is based on the Buddhist monk who burnt himself alive in protest against the persecution of Buddhists by South Vietnam’s Diem administration. This event is widely considered the turning point for the Vietnamese Buddhist crisis.

Based on the structure of the lotus flower, one of the eight auspices of buddhism, the piece is composed of three levels of imagery. The lowest level of skulls represent the material world. Pollinating butterflies represent experience. The geometric patterns represent reaching enlightenment – which Thic Quang Duc must have reached in his meditation prior to his death.

In a recent showing, footage of Thic Quang Duc was projected on top of the paper stencil, transforming the piece with every scene and making the drawing and the video communicate with each other.

To watch the video that was projected click here. To read more about the story click here.

Check out the latest collaboration between the Robots Will Kill collective artists, Chris and Veng and Brooklyn Street Art.com at Brooklyn’s “Espeis Outside.” The large scale mural called “Where the Wild Robots Are,” is the artist’s own redition of Mauriece Sendak’s 1963 book “Where the Wild Things Are.”

Chris describes why this painting is particularly important to him, ” I think it’s the idea of the imagination… the idea of the kid dressing up in the costume and not being happy with what he’s doing every day and [wanting] to find a different place. That’s pretty much how I feel. I go to work every single day and I don’t want to be there, but you gotta. But doing something like drawing or something to keep your mind a little distracted, it’s almost like living the book again.”

If you are in the Williamsburg, Brooklyn area make sure to go check out the mural at 90 Wythe Avenue (at N. 11th street) Williamsbrug, Brooklyn. Oh and peep the video here!

Photos courtesy of Jaime Rojo

Aside from being a skateboarding superstar, Pep Williams, is a naturally talented photographer whose shooting style and images can only be described as the freshest kind of raw – odd description, I know, but take a look at the striking portraits of intricately tattooed people from his Los Angeles street scene. The portraits display complex characters in a natural and restful environment.

There is a freedom in the images which is mirrored in William’s shooting style. While he currently shoots with a NikonD300, his beginnings in photography were humble yet daring. Williams recounts memories from his first shoot “My first shoot I did, I got paid 6k and I never even owned a camera. I just hired a kid to be my assistant and watched him.” His street smarts can be attributed growing up in the Huntington Park, Watts and Venice areas of Los Angeles. “It was tough but it made me who I am.” says the artist.

You can catch news of his upcoming shows in the southern California area on his website at
www.pepwilliamsphotography.com

The task of documenting street art in New York City can be a daunting one considering all of the work that can be found in the mecca of urban art. Self trained photographer, Luna Park, took on this task to document the striking work in her Brooklyn neighborhood.

Her photographs explore textures, the original works, and their context within the city. Luna’s clever composition push the photographs from simple documentation into art works on their own accord.

Luna describes her process: “I love nothing better than strolling through NYC with my camera, looking for beauty in unexpected places – it’s my own personal form of meditation. Since beginning to document urban art, I’ve come to see city surfaces and structures in any entirely different light – it’s been interesting to observe gentrification as it is played out on walls.” Luna herself has undergone a transformation. From a passive photographer, Luna turned into an artist, curator and has even been used as a model for street artists.

Take a second to check out Luna Park’s work on flickr here.Luna shares an immense collection of carefully cataloged images which reflects on her training as a librarian – her day job.

Thank you Luna Park.

Our friends over at Joshua Liner Gallery are hosting a solo exhibition for Denver based artist Evan Hecox. ‘The Last Thousand Years.’ will open this Saturday September 12th from 6-9pm, the artist will be in attendance. The show features some beautifully crafted gouche and ink pieces showing urban landscapes which in the past have referenced cities like Mexico City and San Francisco.

In this particular series “Hecox draws on recent travels to Vietnam, depicting the bustling street life of Ho Chi Minh City and other locales. The scenes teem with pushcarts, bicycles, cars, and people—most hurrying in crisscrossed trajectories, with the occasional long black braid of hair among the cacophony of commercial signs and shop fronts. These cinematic snapshots of urban life are given a uniform visual quality through Hecox’s lovely, muted palette.” (Joshua Liner Website)

Make sure to check out Evan’s work on his website at www.evanhecox.com. You can also grab some prints from here. Catch more information on this exhibition at the Joshua Liner Gallery website here.