Graffitti and street art is now an integral part of the visual arts landscape.
I mentioned South Park Inspired Masterpieces, Cartman Kaiju Death, Opera Gallery, New York recently.
In Los Angeles on April 17, Geffen Contemporary at MOCA swung doors open for Art in the Streets (April 17-August 8, 2011).
Call it a retrospective is you will with a world view:
"Art in the Streets will showcase installations by 50 of the most dynamic artists from the graffiti and street art community, including Fab 5 Freddy (New York), Lee Quiñones (New York), Futura (New York), Margaret Kilgallen (San Francisco), Swoon (New York), Shepard Fairey (Los Angeles), Os Gemeos (São Paulo), and JR (Paris). MOCA’s exhibition will emphasize Los Angeles’s role in the evolution of graffiti and street art, with special sections dedicated to cholo graffiti and Dogtown skateboard culture. The exhibition will feature projects by influential local artists such as Craig R. Stecyk III, Chaz Bojórquez, Mister Cartoon, RETNA, SABER, REVOK, and RISK.
A special emphasis will be placed on photographers and filmmakers who documented graffiti and street art culture including Martha Cooper, Henry Chalfant, James Prigoff, Steve Grody, Gusmano Cesaretti, Estevan Oriol, Ed Templeton, Larry Clark, Terry Richardson, and Spike Jonze. A comprehensive timeline illustrated with artwork, photography, video, and ephemera will provide further historical context for the exhibition."
After L.A, this unique show will take residence in New York at the Brooklyn Museum, from March 30–July 8, 2012.
(* illustration is Wild Style mural by Zephyr, Revolt, Sharp. front row: Doze, Frosty Freeze, Ken Swift; middle row: Patti Astor, Fred Brathwaite, Lady Pink; back row: Lil Crazy Legs, Revolt and Sharp; directed by Charlie Ahearn, photo by Martha Cooper, 1983, from MOCA program pages)