BSA Images Of The Week: 10.30.22

Welcome to BSA Images of the Week!

Halloween is tomorrow- and New York knows how to do Halloween because we practice all year. In Chelsea and the West Village and Tribeca neighborhoods of Manhattan yesterday, we had that New York experience that often happens this time of year: We couldn’t always be sure if people were in costume or if it was just your average Saturday.

Don’t forget the East Village Halloween Parade tomorrow night. We’ll venture to say that more so this year than in years past, we’ve seen a lot of street art celebrating it.

We hardly need made-up horrors these days, though. Often people say we are living in a horror film these days – thanks to being on the brink of a nuclear war or at least a spreading WWIV, an economy that is teetering on the edge of the abyss, open corruption on Wall Street, and in our institutions, and a media machine that is daily fanning the flames of polarization and strife in the populace. If only Halloween were one night!

The war in Ukraine is the current event that artists have not been shy about speaking out against – perhaps because the media drummed it day and night for months. But the plight of Iranian women taking off their hijabs? Nothing. We found just one stencil. Maybe we weren’t looking in the right place? But here’s the thing WE HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR THEM. For the last three weeks, we have traveled the streets of New York and have found nothing. We’ll leave the question as to why this is open…maybe BSA readers can enlighten us?

Congratulations to director Pablo Aravena and his team for the New York theatrical debut of Estyle Chile last night – a truly educational and attractive movie that illustrates a network of cities that have embraced the graffiti and street art cultures from the perspective of a protest dating back to the oppressive Pinochet regime. A number of storylines are illustrated en route – from women’s involvement in the street art scene to the search for identity in a hybrid culture dealing with immigration to the regard for the Mexican muralists of last century to the importation of Pixicao styles from Brazilians like OSGEMEOS – and the quest to differentiate the local scene from the imported New York graffiti and hip hop scenes of the 80s/90s. The post-show moderated talk feature Pablo Aravena, graffiti historian and photographer Henry Chalfant, and Chilean/Brooklynian street artist Cekis.

Enjoy our Halloween parade of art on the streets of NYC. Stay safe!

Here’s our weekly interview with the street, this week featuring: Adam Fujita, Lunge Box, Entes, Clint Mario, CMYK Dots, Font 147, Laurier Artiste, Nathan Nails, Lin Feitel, Spit, Eyeball Crew, Minvske, Gigstar, and Lou Hugus.