29/08/2011
Iron Kurtain was lucky enough to be in Los Angeles for the Museum of Contemporary Art’s seminal show, “Art in the Streets.” Rescued by generous donations (and a Mark Ryden print release) from the brink of bankruptcy, the museum is storming back. First, they hired Jeffrey Deitch, former head of Deitch Projects in NYC (a leading voice and early promoter of such luminaries as Shepard Fairey, Barry McGee, and Swoon), and second, they gave him free rein. He wasted no time in giving Street Art its first true museum retrospective. Although its focus was on early Street Art, especially early Wild Style pieces, the show attempted to give a place to many of the major aspects of the movement (although often just a few works of art). It’s not an easy task. There are so many different mediums to cover that one show couldn’t possible do it all justice. However, this is only the first museum to cover this movement. In years to come, other institutions will surely pick more specific elements to focus on, whether it is low rider car production and design, graf tags, or Pop Surrealism (which was not included at all, sorry Mark Ryden and Todd Schorr).
In essence, it was many shows within one large space. There was a special section dedicated to the Fun Gallery, which connected New York graffiti artists with the downtown art community in the early 1980s. Co-curated by gallery founder Patti Astor, the Fun Gallery installation featured the work of Keith Haring, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and the graffiti artists who shaped the gallery’s history. A section dedicated to the seminal film Wild Style (1983), co-curated by the film’s director Charlie Ahearn, documented its influence on the global dissemination of graffiti and hip-hop culture. Another highlight had to be a Los Angeles version of Street Market, a re-creation of an urban street complete with overturned trucks by Todd James, Barry McGee, and Steve Powers. Seriously, this “street” wanted to make Iron Kurtain cry from joy. Every corner of it was full of work by these three guys, from products in the fake window displays, to dirtied Ray Fong surfboards to the Espo signs that hung high overhead. Now, maybe you aren’t a fan of Banksy, but his room, although not jaw-shattering, was pretty cool—especially the painting referencing the infamous Rodney King beating (in 1991, Los Angeles police brutally beat Rodney King after a routine traffic stop and the incident sparked a riot that threatened to destroy the entire city ((seriously, Iron Kurtain remembers it well and it was a terrifying time))) as was the fact that he paid for everyone’s admission on every Monday for show’s run (seriously, can you think of another artist who has ever done that?). Os Gemeos also shined with two immense walls and an amazing set of usable musical instruments and speakers. Shepard Fairey, Retna, Terry Richardson, a Mister Cartoon ice cream truck, Estevan Oriol, Craig R. Stecyk III, Chaz Bojórquez, Retna, Kaws, Saber, Revok, Risk, John, “Crash” Matos, Space Invader, and on and on. Swoon’s large-scale installation felt like walking inside a cloud. The list goes on and on.
And that’s just inside. In the surrounding neighborhood, there were murals and street work by many artists, including Swoon, Shepard Fairey, several by recent TED-prize winner JR. Iron Kurtain literally got weak in the knees and had to stop often for a cold pint. Thank you Mr. Deitch!
