Art

ASSIGNMENTS BRANDS 2017

February 2017 started with a location shoot in East LA for LEVIS Urban. Really cool to work with this iconic brand, I’ve been wearing them since I rocked white Levis 501’s in the London punk days.

Team Epiphany asked me to collaborate on a project for G SHOCK. They sent 50 of my limited edition 1990’s street portraits to ‘tastemakers’ in a stylish box with the the new G-SHOCK DW5600BB watch.

BURBERRY of London’s September fashion show took place in a 18th Century building surrounded by the curated exhbition ‘Here We Are’ featuring some of my punk era photos. The show has since travelled to Hong Kong and Paris.

Amazing three day shoot in August for LEVIS worldwide on location in Jersey City and Bedford-Stuyvesant. We captured the real street feel of people that wear the brand. Can’t wait to see the campaign which launches Spring 2018.

Cult boot brand FIORENTINI & BAKER commissioned me to photograph ” The Extraordinary People who wear Fiorentini & Baker”. This is an ongoing series of portraits capturing some  of the creative talented people who wear their boots, including Jose James (Jazz Musician),  Cey Adams (Artist), DJ Misbehavior  and more.

GUCCI & DAPPER DAN will show my photos of Sparky D and Salt ‘n’ Pepa wearing clothing designed by Dapper Dan at their new atelier opening January 2018 in Harlem

EXHIBITIONS 2017

Wonderful  to participate in the ‘Fem- is -in’ exhbition curated by Alice Mizrachi in March. The  group show celebrated women-led activism and art and featured some of my all time favorite women artists Jane Dickson, Lady Pink, Martha Cooper, Queen Andrea. I showed six portraits of strong women including the portrait of British artist RayBLK (shot for Interview) used on the invite.

In May the Musée d’Art Contemporain in Marseille exhibited some of my classic hip hop photographs in ‘Hip Hop : The Golden Age 1970-1995’. This great show had record attendance. Hip Hop is huge in France.

At the same time Arts Westchester’s show “From The Streets” opened featuring some of my portraits of graffiti/ street artists from contemporary artist Sydney G James shot in Detroit 2016 to the 1985 photo of Keith Haring..

In January 2017 I started working with legendary screen printer Gary Lichtenstein on a series of silk screen prints featuring my photographs of LL Cool J, Chuck D, Slick Rick, Big Daddy Kane, Salt ‘n Pepa, and Run DMC. We made a series of  limited edition large prints and a box set of six 11×14″ prints. When the 212 Gallery  exhibition of these prints opened in November Fox 5 New York evening news aired a two part documentary piece about me focusing on hip hop and punk photographs. The screen prints were also shown at Art Basel Miami in December.

 

Finally in mid December great to be one of 240 artists worldwide asked to be part of the creation of a collaborative piece of art for the 30th anniversary of the Musee ‘d’Arabe in Paris. The theme is ‘An Open eye on the Arab World’. My art used images I shot in Montpelier and Lille during the spring  hip hop tour.

 

 

PRO BONO PROJECTS 2017

In January 2017, motivated by a political climate that took me to the Women’s March in DC and numerous demonstrations in NYC, I decided to use photography as a tool for protest.

The first project in late January was for ‘Proof Media for Social Justice‘ – a photo workshop with ‘Girl Be Heard‘, portraits and a MashUp (thanks to artist Cey Adams) ‘Girl Be Heard’ empowers young women to fight for social justice issues affecting their communities—from sexual abuse to gun violence. The portraits were exhbited in a gallery in Dumbo in September.

April, my friend Julie Grahame (aCurator.com) and I decided to do a benefit for the Southern Poverty Law Center. We reached out to our friends in the photo community to donate a print to support the SPLC’s fight against domestic hate groups and other extremists. Photographers like Jamel Shabazz, Martha Cooper, Danny Clinch, Joe Conzo, Debra Feingold, Josh Cheuse, Chalkie Davis and so many more all donated work which we sold for $100 a print. We sold over 70 pieces of art in one day.

In December I went to Athens, Greece, with Proof to do a photo workshop with women refugees who live in the anarchist run City Plaza hotel. An intense experience, so glad to have perhaps changed some of their lives. We taught them how to take a good photo and gave them cameras, kindly sponsored by Fuji, to document their lives.

Last but not least happy to take a portrait of ‘Gilbert’ for my good friends at Photoville to help them fund their community programs, the Photoville exhbition, public art photo fences and year-round Education Programs, serving hundreds of students and educators across the city.. The motto ‘Hustle & Hope’ is perfect for 2018.

 

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Working for PROOF: Media for Social Justice on a project with “G!RL BE HEARD’ who use theater to encourage young women to explore gender, race and class issues. We created a workshop environment to photograph the girls and with the guidance of artist Cey Adams they ‘mashed -up’ their images to create these art pieces.

‘GIRL BE HEARD’ have performed at the White House, the United Nations, national tours and workshops in public schools to raise awareness about human rights issues affecting women and girls. Shocking statisitics : 6 out of 10 girls growing up in the U.S. will experience physical or sexual violence in her lifetime. 34% of girls become pregnant before age 20.

 

 

DIOR PARIS

 

 

I spend a week in Paris in late September photographing the Christian Dior collection designed by their new creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri. I photographed everything from the atelier to the fittings, backstage, the show, the celebrities and the scene. I decided to photograph in documentary ‘fly on the wall’ style, black and white images. It was  the most amazing experience watching the collection take shape from the seamstress  making the clothes to the final  show. Attention to detail, beautiful clothes with a feminist twist, Maria Grazia’s Dior is all about celebrating the power of women. Check me out talking about the shoot on Dior TV
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UK MASHUP 2016

In January 2016 I had an exhibition at the Punctum Gallery in London – the show was called Punk Hip Hop MashUp.  In honor of London’s 40th Anniversary of Punk and being back in my home town I decided to do a Punk MashUp. I asked my artist friends from back in those days, who were connected with British music and culture from 1976 to 1982, to reinterpret my photographs. Here are a few of them with their comments about why they chose to work on those particular images:

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CHRISTOS TOLERA “My immediate response to this image was the recognition of the similarity between this and Sir John Everett Millais’ ‘Ophelia’ and the ecstasy so closely associated with death. I was inspired to make more of this and at the same time draw attention to the futility of peaceful protest in the times we live in. The man playing air guitar in the original image is re-imagined dying, dropping the white Poppies which had symbolised peace in his hands for us to be reminded that war continues unabated. The title ‘I Feel Ya’ is a play on words referring to the original inspiration whilst at the same time describing both the old and new images. 

The artist Christos Tolera was born, lives and works in London. After a short lived pop career as a member of 80’s latin funk jazz outfit Blue Rondo A La Turk he eventually settled into the career of an artist as a painter and occasional actor. He has never quite managed to avoid the spotlight nor does it seem he wants to. www.christostolera.com

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SUE TILLEY: “I have always been a huge fan of Boy George and think that his influence on the world and his song writing abilities are very underestimated. I was thrilled to be one of the main characters in his musical ‘Taboo’ which was performed in the West End and on Broadway. I wanted to make the photo painterly so used thick red paint to cover up the background. In the picture I sprayed the gold paint to mimic the drips on Leigh Bowery’s head as George played him in ‘Taboo’. I used the cut up letters to spell out the lyrics of one of my favourite songs and to answer some of the horrible treatment he has received from newspapers. They are also a nod to the punk sensibility of Jamie Reid.”

When Sue Tilley left college she went to sign on and they enlisted her to work in the dole office, finally leaving last year after 37 years. While working there she embraced the London night life scene, working on the door at Taboo and The Wag Club and regularly crawling into work with appalling hangovers. She met Leigh Bowery in a night club who was to become her best friend and a huge influence in her life. After he died in 1993 she wrote his biography which has become a bit of a cult classic. Bowery introduced her to Lucian Freud who painted her 4 times.
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HORACE PANTER “Why did you choose this image?  Easy … I’m the guy first from the right in the photo!

Horace Panter graduated from Lanchester Polytechnic (Coventry) in 1975 with a BAHons in Fine Art and a basic knowledge of the bass guitar. Joined fellow Coventry alumni Jerry Dammers in The Specials until the bands demise in 1982. Taught art in Coventry from 1998-2008, played bass when The Specials reformed (to the present day). “The band, although an incredible live unit, was fragmented and unhappy at the time the photograph was taken. I’ve tried to accentuate that – seven individuals as opposed to a group.”

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KOSMO: I’ve loved both pictures of the twins forever – I think the parka one was in the first issue of The Face wasn’t it? Anyway I think one of the greatest things about British Punk Rock was the Punk/Dread Alliance, both scenes could see kindred spirits in each other and how their enemies were common to both. I always felt that the Two Tone Explosion was a product of this and that it had produced a brand new species. I remember Ranking Roger of The Beat getting up on stage with The Clash and singing “White Riot” – he was so into it- afterwards he told me “I’d always wanted to do that song on stage”. I’ve just tried to capture some of that lightning.”

The former Londoner turned New Yorker, Kosmo Vinyl, is perhaps best known for his work with Ian Dury & The Blockheads and The Clash. Starting out at Stiff Records in 1976, he became a key figure in the London-based music scene. These days Kosmo’s artistic blow-by-blow account of his existence as a long distance fan of West Ham United soccer team is documented in the blog “Is Saitch Yer Daddy,” The title comes from some cryptic East London graffiti from his youth. “You could see it just past Bromley By Bow station, when taking the District Line Underground train east, en route to Upton Park, home of The Hammers.”

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MARCO : “I choose Joe Strummer  because is a wonderful singer with guts and brain. When I was doing the painting of the photo I put a union jack ripped, because Joe represent his country like no one and at the same time was critic towards it, so he destroy what is wack in England and at the same time put the english music to a huge level, the one that this country deserved for all the incredible tracks it brought to the world, cause the crown sucks, but his people kill !!!! It’s the only country that can step against the huge US music machine, like the Beatles or the Stones they fuckin did it. ” This is England!!”I also wrote some of my favorite title of the band, like a medley written all around him, cause all this came out of this man. I never been a fan in my life, but I’m a big time Clash supporter!!! Revolution Rock!!!”

I was a graffiti vandal, I did architecture studies, I’m now making films, and still keep on writing graffiti ( Not street art), and sometimes I even tattoo…. Art is the expression of emotion, and if people can feel it, then it is. My name is Marc-Aurèle Vecchione, people call me Marco, I write Orel -you choose!!

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PAM HOGG ” Knowing I was good friends with Siouxee, Janette suggested i worked on her image, so of course it was a great choice for me, I loved the photo. I’ve been drawing since I was able to hold a pencil, it seemed the most natural thing to do, and I’ve been doing it all my life.”

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IAN WRIGHTONETWOTHREEFOUR, innit?”

I’m interested in what could be. I especially enjoy making portraits and I’m excited by the process of collaboration. I love conversation. I’m obsessed by music. I’m looking forward to what happens next.” Ian Wright is an artist, he worked for The Face & NME back in the day. He has also been supplying me with the best compilation mix tapes, CD’s and MP3’s since 1979.

AND MORE great pieces were created by: Lorraine Kinman (Costume Designer,worked with Vivien Westwood and Boy), Ian’Swifty’ (Graphic Designer, Straight No Chaser, Talkin’ Loud), Hattie Stewart (Illustrator), Dan Holiday (Artist), Chris Sullivan (Journalist, DJ, artist, Blue Rondo A La Turk, the Wag), Princess Julia (Writer, painter, ID Magazine Blitz, PX). Kash (Graffiti artist and painter). Soon to be seen on my website …

Bronx graffiti

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Wall opposite the old Bronx courthouse is a timeline of hand style signatures from 1960’s to present day.

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My great friend Marco in Paris emailed me today : “I did this painting today with the help of my crew ( Grim Team ) helping me out on place de la Republique! Its Paris motto : float don’t sink! “.

I was in Paris with him in January weeks after the ‘Charlie Hebdo’ bombings and in April for a show at the Musee d’Arabe. It’s a beautiful city with so much heart and soul. It will rise above this shit again. Art fights senseless violence and destruction.

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Paris January 2015

PHOTOVILLE 2015

 

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“Back then it was down to earth photographs taken in scruffy clubs or backstage changing rooms. Today everything is so ‘thought about’ image-concious, marketed and packaged. I know which I prefer. ” Sir Paul Smith Menswear Designer and British Style Icon

Three months ago the United Photo Industries crew Dave, Laura and Sam came by my studio – they asked me to curate a show for the opening night of Photoville: the best music photographs from the last 4 decades, we called it ‘Down & Dirty’. They were also drawn to the ‘MashUp’ project that I had hanging on the wall (legends from the graffiti world painting on my old school hip hop photos).

I’ve spent the last three months combing through rock n roll music images and the result is ‘Down & Dirty’ on display in a shipping container at Photoville, there is a free limited edition newspaper and of course the slide show which will be shown on Thursday during the opening night party. Plus extra bonus is a mega ‘MashUp’ created by artists Cey Adams and Queen Andrea on the side of our container (visible to the folk stuck in traffic on the BQE)

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This show endeavors to highlight some of the great photographers that have documented music over the last four decades. These photographers followed bands capturing whatever they could, from intimate moments at home to fans crowd surfing at concerts, to gritty backstage scenes. The images were mostly created without the help of hair and makeup, stylists, no management in sight, just the photographer and the musician(s). Photographers, some you’ll have heard of and some not but you will know their images – such as Roberta Bayley, Godlis and Bob Gruen who captured the East Coast punk scene, Mick Rock who hung out with Bowie and Iggy and shot the glam rock scene, Chalkie Davis who shot the 2 Tone scene in the UK, David Corio and Adrian Boot who shot UK punk and reggae in Jamaica, Glen E Freidman who shot West coast punk, hip hop and skateboard culture, Danny Clinch ‘s photographs of so many genres from Tupac to Johnny Cash, Lawrence Watson’s post punk Brit pop, Jonathan Mannion, Michael Lavine’s 90’s hip hop, Michael Putland’s classic rock, Mel D Cole’s modern hip hop classics and the list goes on.

None of this would have been possible without the help of Julie Grahame (for those that don’t know Julie ran one of the world’s biggest music photo agencies), AmandaGorence fabulous photo editor and producer, and the Photoville posse who were crazy enough to ask me to do this.

And the beat goes on! Hope to see you at the opening this Thursday

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France

In Montpelier, France decided to take a walk. Met this man ( below) a Moroccan singer called King Habib, he invited me into his house for a cup of mint tea. I learn later he is believed to be the local drug dealer and pimp.

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Talked to the ‘King of the Gipsies’ in the market, photographed him and his son.

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