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 present the works as part of their gallery program, and in collaboration with creative platform Lado B. Together they will create innovative opportunities for an international community to experience the energy of New York City.
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. 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 public art display.
ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Kenny Scharf (b. 1958 in Los Angeles) first came to prominence in the early 1980s as a New York street artist, and over the years, his interdisciplinary practice has comprised clothing design, sculpture, installations, and video as well as painting—on walls and on canvas. Aspiring to reach a broad audience, Scharf has not shied away from commercial collaborations and merchandising, and working in the public realm has also expanded his reach as an artist. Improvised on the spot, his public murals convey a frenetic energy, reflecting his fast-paced production process, which stems from his early, unsanctioned work and the need to move quickly before being caught by the police. Even in a museum or gallery setting, Scharf stays true to those roots, retaining that sense of spontaneity in his work.
As part of the first generation to grow up with television, Scharf is interested in the immediacy of popular imagery, particularly cartoon characters. These familiar, almost universally understood figures convey complex emotions through simple means and can suggest movement even in static images. Drawing on American cartoons from the 1960s like The Jetsons and The Flintstones as well as the work of fine artists such as Yves Tanguy, Scharf has developed a cast of original cartoon characters that recur in his work. Incorporating vivid colors, he employs the expressive faces and inherent energy of his characters to effectively communicate with viewers.
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 this fall - 2011.