Artist slinkachu works with more than snails. Check out more here.
The Boise Weekly featured an article on May 14th about Boise graffiti artists Hawk Sahlein, Colin Pfeifer, and Antone Chacartegui. The article notes that Boise is behind other nearby urban centers in its willingness to embrace graffiti as a legitimate artform. The three artists mentioned all do commissioned (i.e. legal) pieces. [ARTICLE LINK]
A reader writes:
"what about something cheerful? It sounds like it's an "art for art's sake" type of project, but it could cheer someone's day nonetheless if you try..."
I started to write a response, and found myself more and more intrigued by the question. "Art for art's sake" doesn't feel quite right to me. It seems to suggest that guerrilla art exists for its own amusement. I have a vague sense that such an impression might be a common reaction to graffiti -- perhaps the most recognizable form of urban art -- though I have no reason to believe the writer of this message is making such a connection.
If a person goes to a studio to view art, they have a mindset that expects a particular type of experience. The venue itself contributes to that experience, by virtue of its setup. That's not a bad thing, and I don't dislike or mistrust that scenario.
However...
I am intrigued by artistic experiences that occur outside this scenario -- when a person isn't deliberately observing art, but is surprised by it. The physical context in which urban/guerrilla art takes place is integral to the experience itself, and thus to the life of the artwork. It's somewhat randomized (by virtue of being subject to changing weather, light conditions, etc...). In a way, the physical installation, be it painting, sculpture, video, etc..., is more like the canvas which merely hosts an experience, and that experience becomes the actual artwork, subject to the conditions that exist when the experience occurs.
I don't think the utility of guerrilla art is limited to inspiring any
particular emotion. Cheer might accompany horror and confusion, even in
one experience, as a person explores their own thoughts about an
installation. There are certainly examples of urban artists working
today whose work makes be feel all of the above. And certainly, there
are installations that simply celebrate something beautiful, aiming
perhaps to draw attention to the hidden beauty in an urban environment
where one has come to forget that beauty might still live.
"Guerilla art is a fun and insidious way of sharing your vision with the world. It is a method of art making which entails leaving anonymous art pieces in public places. It can be done for a variety of reasons, to make a statement, to share your ideas, to send out good karma, or just for fun. My current fascination with it stems from a belief in the importance of making art without attachment to the outcome. To do something that has nothing to do with making money, or listening to the ego." [link]
And so, a few projects are in the works.
Ambient Urban Numbers
Veiled Objects
Messages in Bottles
Organ Donation Posters
And more as inspiration and time permit.
Links
"Boise's one and only open air art exhibit."
Wonderfully dada urban projects from various artists.
Some wonderfully subversive urban art installations in Am...
Guerrilla art, sculpture, painting, and more.
Stencil/graffiti urban art.
