GATES PROJECT

2011-05-01

2010-06-01

KENNY SCHARF

ABOUT THE PROJECT:
Throughout the month of June, artist Kenny Scharf will continue to bring his signature style of art to the streets of New York City. Kenny will be painting dozens of storefront security gates in various locations throughout downtown Manhattan. Anonymous Gallery will be presenting the works as part of their gallery program in collaboration with creative platform Lado B. Together they will create innovative opportunities for an international community to experience the energy of the New York City streets.

As the project develops, the public will have access to maps and information online such as gate locations, viewing hours, as well as where to find printed informational materials through www.anonymousgallery.com. The public will also have the unique opportunity to interact experientially with the project by uploading their own recorded encounters with the project online.

ABOUT THE PROGRAM:
In an effort to further develop and promote art in the public sphere, Anonymous Gallery has secured a number of storefront, roll-down shutters through the assistance of Mediacy’s Gatescapes program. Anonymous Gallery, will continue to develop the project as an ongoing program and offer them as public canvases to a number of internationally known contemporary artists, encouraged to share their craft with the public.

ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Artist Kenny Scharf, born in Hollywood, California in 1958. Scharf first came to artistic prominence in the early 1980s in New York, along with artists Keith Haring and Basquiat, during the Warhol years. Scharf placed his bright imagery, drawn from television and pop culture, on the streets and in nightclubs of the city, helping to nurture a dynamic and freewheeling scene. As a key figure in the East Village art scene of the 1980s, Scharf made his mark with shows at Fun Gallery (1981) and Tony Shafrazi (1984), before seeing his work embraced by museums like The Whitney, who selected him for the 1985 Whitney Biennial.

Scharf currently lives and works in New York and Los Angeles. His work can be found in major museums and collections, including the Guggenheim Museum, Whitney Museum of American Art, the Eli Broad Foundation, MOCA Los Angeles and the Stedelijik Museum. Most recently Scharf exhibited at Paul Kasmin in New York, he has been prominently featured at the exhibition “Art In The Streets, at Los Angeles’s MOCA and has an upcoming exhibitions at Honor Fraser in Los Angeles.

ABOUT GATESCAPES:
Gatescapes, the newest venture of Mediacy Outdoor, the Soho-based advertising company, are large-format streetscapes: brightly colored, billboard-sized vinyl placed on roll-down security gates in New York and Los Angeles. Mediacy is donating a portion of Gatescapesspaces to artists, for the installation of temporary public artworks.

ABOUT LADO B:
Lado B is a project designed to promote cultural exchange and sustainable development through creative collaborations with common objectives. The project is based on 4 platforms including: art, fashion, forums, and exclusive events. Each of the 4 platforms will be carried out through events and activities that generate content, that will then be applied to online applications and amplified through media and viral activity.

Lado B will be involved in collaborating and supporting future public art projects with Anonymous Gallery in Mexico City (D.F.) this fall 2011.

2010 Kenny Scharf’s Gates: ID Magazine
by Milly McMahon