Coverage – Beyond The Streets NYC, Williamsburg Brooklyn

Beyond The Streets NYC is a wet dream for any street art fan, or art enthusiast in general. The sheer magnitude of this exhibition is just incredible. Over a hundred and fifty of the greatest graffiti and street artist who have ever blessed this earth all together presented on two floors, spanning an entire city block in Williamsburg Brooklyn. Curator Roger Gastman has created an almost all encompassing show featuring the road of some fo the most prolific street artist from spray paint and stencils on illegal walls, to canvasses and installation in art galleries. I can truly promise that there is something at this show for everybody. I am not going to regurgitate the press release and list off some buzz words, or artists names you might know. It’s just all here. By a ticket, clear an afternoon, and enjoy yourself.

Roger Gastman, Shepard Fairey, Cey Adams

(DISCLAIMER – I will be treating this article as a living document for the duration of the Beyond The Streets NYC Exhibition. This means I will be adding to it as I spend more time there. I am doing my best to credit ALL the artists in my photos, and will eventually get to them all. I believe it’s more important to get this article up immediately with some omissions rather than wait. Hold your horses internet I promise I’ll fix it all).

It means a lot to me to bring this show to New York City. NYC made graffiti famous. Just look at the trains from the 1970’s and 80’s that spread across the world starting one of the biggest art movements in history thats is now over 50 years old. To be able to work with so many amazing artists from around the globe that have gone on and started incredible studio practices, and include them all in this show together with the works they are creating now is a dream come true. But let me make one thing clear this is not a historical show, this show is not about the history of New York, it’s not the history of LA, it’s just a great show featuring artists highlighting their studio practices, and where they came from, but every tenth exhibit or so we break this rule and add in something historical to remind you where you are. I think I can safely say this is the biggest street art and graffiti show there has ever been. It encompasses an entire city block, 2 floors, over 150 artists in Williamsburg Brooklyn with just crazy views. I truly hope that everyone has a chance to come to the show and see everything, but be warned it could be too overwhelming to see all at once, it can take an entire afternoon with two or three stops during it. I really hope people enjoy it…. And for those worried about the cost Its less than the price of going to a movie and getting a drink! – Roger Gastman

FUTURA 2000

CORNBREAD

Roger Gastman

Paul Insect

Paul Insect & BAST

Faile

CRASH

LEE Quiñones

Martha Cooper & Charlie Ahearn

I’m very excited to be here at Beyond The Streets in New York City… It’s about fucking time we got this in New York City… This is the biggest street art show to EVER happen in this city! It’s not just that there is a lot of work here… its more than that… There is so much high quality work from so many of my favorite artists. In particular you need to check out LEE Quiñones wall, Joe Conzo has a great wall, Futura amazing point man statue, Jane Dickson paintings she did in Coney Island… it goes on and on. I have a whole section in the show where each painting is about hip-hop history, and the characters who intrigue me, with my work in the show I’m trying to teach people, and blow them away at the same time. Just get your ass down here! Some people are worried about the cost, but any art fair, or the Museum of Modern Art would cost the same, or even more. The truth is the cost is just worth it… come for the whole day! Check out the show you can’t be disappointed. – Charlie Ahearn

Kenny Scharf & Matthew Eller

Stephen Powers (ESPO), Todd James, & Whisbe

I’m really proud of Roger… I’ve known him since way back in the day when he was starting out and he asked me what he needed to do to start a graffiti magazine. I think it was in 1995. I had a graffiti magazine called “On The Go” and I told him everything he needed to know, and he made a magazine, which led him to go on to make a lot of other amazing things. His instincts are really good, and he’s had a couple misses over the years which is true for everybody, and I think its really great to see him overcome those difficulties. You knew it was all going to work out for him… you weren’t sure where, or when but it would. Fundamentally, I was happy to work with Roger, and the happy benefit to that was that he managed to pull this whole thing together allowing me to work with Barry (McGee) again, Alexis Ross, Bert Krak, Todd James… these are people I owe my entire adult creative life to so for us to get another bite at the apple together and keep building on what we have been doing, and add a little bit more… extent it a little bit more… it’s just the best! It’s the greatest! Everybody should be so lucky! – Stephen Powers

MADSAKI & Todd James

I’m just so happy to be part of a show with so many artists I look up to. I can’t name just one artists who has influenced me… really everyone in this show… it’s incredible and I’m just happy to be here it’s just crazy… all I can say is never, never stop… just keep chasing your dreams… they can come true… this show is proof of that. – MADSAKI

Tanley Wong (Arrested Motion) & Josh Geyer

INVADER

SWOON

Krink

The Beastie Boys Exhibit

Cleon Peterson

Dan Witz & Faith XLVII

REVOK

Shepard Fairey

Well to me this show is great because it’s independently put together, it was created in the same spirit as this entire movement. If the dominant structure isn’t going to give you an art show, or give you a venue, you create your own opportunities. In that way this show has the same spirit as the art on the street has, but its a also a really professional representation of this movement, and the fact that good art is good art. If someone can make a great piece on a public wall… well believe it or not they may be able to make a great piece on canvas or paper. The proof is all around us in this show. If this gives people a deeper understanding of the validity of this movement and the amazing abilities of all these artists then thats an important thing to make happen and I believe Roger has done this. – Shepard Fairey

Shepard Fairey

DAZE

SNAKE 1, SJK 171, MIKE 171

Richard Hambleton & Whisbe

José Parlá

Roger Gastman, HAZE, Ricky Powell

Bill Barminski

Cullen Poythress, HAZE, Ricky Powell

Maya Hayuk

Lori Zimmer, Logan Hicks, Jennifer Rizzo, LEE Quiñones

Rosie Perez, Eric Haze

Ivory Serra, Shelter Serra

Buff Monster, Todd James

It’s really nice because its rare to get this many people from these different worlds together in one show, and for me personally, even the older guys who I have known some of over the year, it was really nice to install with them, and share that camaraderie, to just be all together in one place in a show of this magnitude, because it just doesn’t happen ever. Even some of the guys I’m super tight with I don’t get to see often, so just for that alone makes this amazing for me. Plus, its a great survey of quite a bit of a diverse set of artists of different ages, and styles. It’s not just all graph, or just all street art, or all old, or all current, it spans generations and different pockets that co-exist, and Roger ties it all together. – Todd James