Art
Surveillance vs. Sousveillance
In his latest edition of Hypermedia, artist Artie Vierkant explores ideas of surveillance and sousveillance in the work of artists Jill Magid, Steve Mann, Josh On, Ryan McKinley, and Trevor Paglen.
Review
Art
Indoor Migration: Dain, Aakash Nihalani & Peep-o-rama
This movement of art in- and outside has been of interest to me since I regularly began following street art about a year ago. The contexts in which the work can be seen often varies dramatically, and these environmental shifts raise a number of questions: does the work itself change as it traverses
Art
Peru Ana Ana Peru Goes Inside at Brooklynite
Depending on how a street artist uses the street they may have something to lose by moving into a gallery space. Peru Ana Ana Peru, which is composed of two artists, use the street primarily as a way of making their striking and fantastical images even more so. We are struck by a colorful image or b
Art
iBlanket: "Ads" That Don't Sell & Encourage Debate
My husband was walking down Bedford Avenue on Wednesday, and he spotted someone pasting up posters on a wall which is almost always dominated by a giant Shepard Fairey poster, so frequently in fact that it might as well be his permanent ad space. It was lunchtime and no one stopped or cared. Knowing
Art
Frankly American at the Met
Much has been written about the traveling exhibition The Americans, but here’s a recap: Swiss photographer Robert Frank won a Guggenheim fellowship and drove around the United States in 1955-56 taking pictures. His book The Americans, with a forward by Jack Kerouac, was published in 1959, and met wi
Art
In Dreams Begin Responsibilities: Napalm Death, BHQF & My Jerry Saltz Dream
When a gaggle of Meriden teenagers got together in the early 80's to form Napalm Death, they weren't thinking of completely restructuring the DNA of the Song. They weren't thinking about inventing a new Metal genre, Grindcore. They weren't thinking about garnering the lifelong support of John Peel.
Art
Hypermedia: Exposure
Hypermedia: Critical Issues in Contemporary Media Art is a column written by artist Artie Vierkant for Hyperallergic. Each article discusses an existing or emerging theme in practices at the intersection of electronic media and the arts, drawing from the contemporary and the historic, the pervasive
Books
Flipping through MOMO's "3am-6am"
It's an epidemic in street art publications, picture books with no little or no text and often no photo credits or explanatory text. The democratization of publishing, accompanied by the popularity of street art, has created a mass delusion that just because anyone could that everyone should publish
Art
Review of "This is Berlin Not New York," Screening this Sat at Anthology Film Archives
I joined Hyperallergic editor and fellow street art enthusiast, Hrag Vartanian, to discuss the recent film by the Antagonist Art Movement titled "This is Berlin Not New York." The very indie film is directed by Ethan H. Minsker and follows the adventures of the New York-based art group as they trave
Books
DIWhy? A Review of New Asshole, Issue 1.2
The second issue of Manya Scheps' quarterly critical journal New Asshole launched on the internet recently in .pdf format. The journal, a self-described "DIY critique of DIY," focuses primarily on goings on among the collective and community-based art scenes in Philadelphia. (Full disclosure--this i
Art
As Seen on TV, Alex Bag at Elizabeth Dee
For Alex Bag’s current solo show, Reality Tunnel Vision, the front room of Elizabeth Dee gallery is wrapped with forest-patterned wallpaper on one side (curling off the wall at the far end), dead plants hanging from the wall, some dead bamboo sticking out of dirt on the gallery floor, an old barbequ
Art
Street Artvertisements: “Hell, No!”
Much contemporary art is disappointing--street art especially. Even if you manage to find a piece you really like--or, if you’re lucky, one that is really worth liking--it gets buffed, weathered beyond recognition, hyped beyond reason, or it simply disappears. And like all art, its digital web ghost