“Beyond the Streets” now has a permanent address.
The roving exhibit, which debuted in a Chinatown warehouse four years ago, will be displayed in a new space in Los Angeles. It’s the brainchild of Roger Gastman, a former graffiti artist whose mission is to develop cultural hubs that embrace street art.
“For years, even before we opened and did the ‘Beyond the Streets’ concept, I was thinking about opening a gallery,” says Gastman, who directed “Rolling Like Thunder,” a 2021 Showtime documentary, and was consulting producer on “Exit Through the Gift Shop.” “We want to provide more opportunities, [so] it just made sense.”
Aside from the permanent exhibit, the Beyond the Streets flagship will be home to a curated gift shop and another gallery called Control that was developed by Gastman in partnership with Sky Gellatly, founder of Icnclst creative agency.
“Post Graffiti,” an exhibition spotlighting 21 artists — from established talents such as Crash, Eric Haze and Lady Pink to rising artists Felipe Pantone and Ozzie Juarez — will be an inaugural exhibit when the space opens its doors Sept. 24.
“Post Graffiti” will also feature a collaboration between Futura 2000 and Kenny Scharf created specifically for the show. “It’s nine feet long and six feet tall,” Gastman says about the piece. “They’ve been friends for 40-plus years, but this is the first true collaborative work they’ve made.”
After its initial run in Los Angeles, “Beyond the Streets” traveled to Brooklyn in 2019 and has since popped up in other cities.
“While I have not painted graffiti in many years, it’s still my obsession, and I find myself around it and searching it out everywhere I go,” says Gastman. “My practice has gone to preserving and archiving and making sure the history of culture is not forgotten.”
He adds: “I want to continue to educate [people] on this culture, I want to push artists’ careers, and I want to show that we are here to stay.”
Beyond the Streets is located at 434 N. La Brea Ave., Los Angeles. “Post Graffiti” runs from Sept. 24 to Oct. 22.
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