Hrag Vartanian

I’ve been on vacation this week (and hence able to blog daily) and thought I’d comment on Street Art since it’s red hot at the moment (evidence from last Dec.).

I may have come late to the table when it comes to writing about Street Art but my admiration of the guerrilla art form dates back to my college days in Toronto in the early 90s.

Street Art naturally flourishes in locales overcrowded with derelict districts, aggressive subcultures and a hypercultural milieu (essentially, everywhere I’ve ever lived). It is a public affair, but recently as New York’s urban core has been overrun by a new wave of suburban-izers, street artists are responding by increasingly selling works in galleries to support their shtick. Check out my pics from “Trigr: A NYC Street Art Show” at the purePROJECT earlier this month.

So, I’m going to say it–I’m OVER street art as we know it (and apparently so is the creator of Street Art Blows). I’m eager for the next incarnation…I want my upgrade!

My friend Amy (of Greenjeans fame) suggested the future of street art may be something we can’t imagine, like public knitting or knitting as graffiti–all I can say is BRING IT ON!

Addendum: I couldn’t help but laugh when contractors hired by the city of Bristol couldn’t tell the “art” from the graffiti when they painted over an early Banksy mural in that city.