(Slightly NSFW) photos by Dakota Fine
words by Jeff Jetton
you thought street art died in the 90′s, didn’t you? guess what? it never went away. fresh on the heels of the new banksy movie, Art Whino and the Crystal City BID are bringing you G40.
DC has a fascinating history of street art. Some of the more well known names that come to mind are cool disco dan, kelly towels, borf, demon 202 and of course Dot Com.
This weekend begins the month long celebration of street art known as G40. We will let them exlain it:
Art Whino teams up with Crystal City BID and Vornado to present G-40: The Summit, a month long exhibition and event series featuring over 500 artists from around the world.
The mission of G40: The Summit is to bring the leaders of the New Brow genre together in Crystal City, VA in an effort to explore, discuss and grow this movement. G-40: The Summit will be a culmination of ideas and processes, brought together and highlighted by region and style, creating, for the first time, a full cross examination of this genre.
BYT dropped in on the show ahead of time and took some teaser pictures. We are excited about this, folks. Really excited. And to get you in the mood for this Art Whino-curated event, we went ahead and curated a little bit of music. We’ve interspersed these photos with ten of our favorite hip-hop videos. Watch the videos or just play the music while you look at the pictures. Enjoy!
The event is chock full of street art. We hate even mentioning it here, but the comparisons to Artomatic are inevitable. This is not your grandfather’s Artomatic. Where Artomatic, god bless it, allowed the artistic whims of most local artists, G40 is a curated event featuring artists from all over the country. And it’s street-focused, so you truly know what you’re going to get.
10. Mystikal (feat. Nivea): Danger (been So long) sorry this is the edited version, lame.
This song might have been our number one if Mystikal wasn’t convicted of sexual battery and extortion. You can be a hard motherfucker without actually raping and murdering. See: Eminem
9. Aesop Rock: None Shall Pass
I don’t know what’s better, the song or the video. Jeremy Fish is my favorite Street Artist and he absolutely kills it here.
G40 encompasses four floors of an office building in Crystal City, separated by region. Washington D.C., New York City and California all have their own floors with the rest of the country relegated to the final floor. The beauty of G40 is that it’s a work in progress. The artists will be doing art throughout the month, so the building is in a constant state of metamorphosis.
8. Eyedea & Abilities: Smile
7. Weird Al Yankovic: White and Nerdy
6. Lil Wayne (feat. Static): Lollipop
5. Common: A Dream
Special recognition for this video taking place in the District of Columbia.
4. Ja Rule (feat. Ashanti): Always on Time
Cheesy, but awesome. That fucking Ja Rule voice is perfect.
3. K’Naan: T.I.A.
K’Naan dropped this video earlier this year and it immediately became my favorite of the year. The song kicks ass… Watch K’Naan slit his own throat at 2:20 and arise as a spirit, still spitting rhymes at you. You can watch this video fifty times and still notice interesting stories being told. This really is Africa. Frightening, beautiful and completely different than anything you hear or see or taste.
2. Missy Elliott (feat. Ludacris): Gossip Folks
Gradeschool secret speak///Ludacris destroying it///the dancing, the kids, the color, the lighting. Recognize.
1. Outkast: Bombs Over Baghdad
Easily the best video I’ve ever seen.
By the way, Nick Smith made an amazing documentary about the Dot Com era of street art in DC. Check out the first ten minutes of it, it’ll blow your mind:
Free Agents
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1887128948
500+ Artists
75,000 sqft
Curated Visual and Performance Art
Grand Opening Reception
March 6th, 8pm – Midnight
Check out our breakdown of events at the Summit this week, and stay tuned for more details about the blowout!
oh… THAT r5… i thought this was 12ounce…
Maybe it’s just me, but I thought the saying was if you have nothing nice to say to say nothing at all. Some of these posts towards the persons or more so person in this write up seem downright mean and nasty.
This is really superb, thank you for the video collabs…very well thought out and well placed, just awesome!
Great post – the videos add so much. Also loving the interaction with the art in the pics.
Thanks for the very thorough write-up. Looking forward to attending.
I’m so ready for G40! Awesome post…I’m checking it out tonight!
And G-40 is so ready for YOU! We are still looking for some volunteers to help us out at our events. If you’re interested, contact me at sonja@artwhino.com. We have musical performances, live painting, workshops and so much more…and ask me about our incentive program!
What a sweater Jeff. That blue really pops!
I’d like to hear more about this Banksy movie….!
There’s gonna be a rumble! The paint is gonna fly!
oops, that last comment was from me, not R5
Ha, my feelings aren’t hurt. We were originally going to publish this as G40 in 15 minutes, similar to the artomatic in 15 minutes…
http://www.brightestyoungthings.com/art-design/artomatic-in-15-minutes/
Which is kind of our own adventure through an exhibit or event. Unfortunately there just wasn’t enough time to get the photos that we needed, so what you’re seeing is those photos that we did get. I apologize if we took anything away from the exhibit, but hey, more reason for you to actually go and see it rather than just look at the pictures.
And I’ll totally fight you or shoot you if you’re down. Where are you?
From the Douchebag:
Dear R5, I say this from the bottom of my heart, fuck off. We tried to put as much of the art in the article as possible without giving too much away. I’ll call it Street art and you can call it just plain art and we can call it a day, right? Potayto, potahto.
Nobody said the hip-hop videos had ANYTHING to do with the event, it’s just fun music to listen to while you look at the pictures.
I usually don’t respond to criticism, but your attitude really fucking sucks. If you would like to schedule a duel, I’m totally down. Dick.
IF youre gonna post pictures of the exhibit and the artwork within, PLEASE do it sans douchebags!
Are you covering the event or taking pictures of yourself being retarded (not funny retarded, plain stupid)..
Oh and BTW your whole description of it being a street art exhibit is way off, even if some street atrists participate in the show or installation/murals..
Its a low-bow or New-brow as Shane describes it read the press release.
Street art is just that STREET art, if you take the techniques and apply them in a exhibit setting it does not have the same context, it becomes just ART…
Your write up sucks as well what the hell with the artist videos that have nothingto do with the show or the hip-hop videos… WTF indeed
Gee R5, who peed in your Cheerios this morning?
Umm well..
I can agree on the whatever of street or art context. The comment I made about the video referenced the artists videos, which has nothing to do with the show (Banksy vid & JFish). The hip-hop videos (which are dope vids), I just dont get why the extra info but again whatever..
Now to the pictures which is what bothered me, I understand youre covering the event, yet why is there any need to have the pics of u guys there? Its like some self gratification or something but maybe i just dont get it….
Now sorry i hurt your feelings, if u got a problem with me come see me im there all day today & tomorrow…..
no way, dude! R5 is fuckin HIlarious.
in the most serious way, i mean.
1st floor live painting
squashed..
no ufc tonite…
I guess that means you get to paint another day.
‘And I’ll totally fight you or shoot you if you’re down.” I know it’s wrong, but this is kind of funny. It’s funny because I swear in one of those little 15 minute thingies Jeff said he was anti-gun and now he wants to shoot people. Ha!
R5, i can relate to your annoyance with this post. I also found it stupid that the ‘douchebag’ in the blue sweater was in all these pictures. I actually was more annoyed that he was touching all the ‘art’. On the street you can touch it, it’s street art, in a gallery, i’m pretty sure you’re supposed to not touch the ‘art.’ I’m not like a museum nazi, but wtf tina?
Looks like a cool show, the vids added a nice soundtrack. Stop touching the ‘art’ hipsters!
I give up, I’m a giant douchebag and I’m sorry for being that way. Although I didn’t touch ANY of the art.
I just want to throw out there………… “Can’t we all just get along” Hahahahaha
Thanks to EVERYONE for their support!
See you at G40
S.
How about thumb wrestling…? I’d like to see all of you thumb wrestle it out! Is that out of the question at this point?
I’m glad there weren’t any nipples or privates on my spray cans for you guys to have to cover or lick. I’ll never look at those paintings the same!
Thanks for getting us to lighten up a bit. The G40 artists spent so long installing and working our booties off, that we were kinda exhausted and forgot that what we put up is def open to your (and everyone else’s) interpretation.
Most of all, it looks like you guys enjoyed yourselves and that is what every artist involved ultimately wants. That, and to sell their pieces!
So, please, buy local independent artist’s work not the canned stuff from the big box stores!!
if you want to check out photos simply of the art, that’s easy to find anywhere. if showing people with art is too much for you to bear, than you’re just being a whiny person, and someone who needs to do some self-examination on how un-remarkable their thoughts are. Providing press and finding ways to interest people who otherwise would scan quickly over the photos is good for the artists, and might convince some people to make a trip to crystal city for G40.
R5, you dumbfuck, besides you being a shithead for using the word “retard”, lots of popular street artists did art here, and did it right on the walls, it’s totally cool, go check out the various floors. And while your at it, save us the whining, and do your own post next time about the art, if you think there is a purer, better way.
To Those who just complain… If you could read, you’d know that R5 is actually IN the show. Sigh. He’s prob spent more time there than you. Not more than me, but def more than you.
So as a street artist himself, he prob noticed how “totally cool” the show is before you even heard about it.
Street art is on the street. G40 is not a street. Uh, you guys are making my head hurt.
I think albus cavus might have some feelings about their piece subbing for the BYT dude’s balls… But Dakota’s awesome pix make up for any douchebaggery and that’s the final word!
um, as one of the street artists in g40, i consider anything i do, anywhere, street art. i didn’t go to art school. everything i know i learned painting in the street. i don’t care about low-brow, new-brow, or whatever. i’m street, period. not all the artists featured are street, some just wish they were. but, all in all we had fun and i loved working with everyone.
and this ain’t a fucking magazine, its a blog. you guys can take pics any way you want, its your blog. i thought the security guard pic was hilarious. i hung out with those dudes for 2 weeks and they all treated me very well.
and i looked back thru blog and don’t see anyone touching hung art. one shot of dude touching painted wall.
I retract any comments I made on the basis that this is a faaakin blog post and any comments or opinions after all are irrelevant and inconsequential, whoever they come from.
Who gives a shit about what I said or others said on some single thread on some single blog….
I came to the realization very quickly after making my comments that i was wasting my time and energies, it has no relevance in my life to bicker over some dumb ish, so i dropped it.
Negative energies manifest into fruition in our lives if we allow it, so this blog post is most likely the last time ill ever comment on blogs.
Its just not worth it at all, more drama than dialogue so anyways no more lip from me anymore…
I still dont like the pics w dudes, but i could really care less at this point…
Asad-shut the fuck up no-one wants to listen to u, hahahahahaheheheheh
KGB wha whaaaaah!!!!