Street Art Pilgrimage in Bushwick

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Street Art Pilgrimage in Bushwick Carefully curated and independently researched street art tours designed to provide greater context surrounding key murals in Bushwick.
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 , led by Naofal Alaoui (aka Rocko)  , helped bring this calligraffiti mural to life in 2015, located across from 247 Tr...
10/05/2023

, led by Naofal Alaoui (aka Rocko) , helped bring this calligraffiti mural to life in 2015, located across from 247 Troutman Street. Working with Joel Bergner (aka Joel Artista) , the two executed a mural based on an ongoing portrait series by acclaimed photographer and cinematographer Barron Claiborne

In this mural, drawing upon his familiarity with Islamic art and architecture from Morocco and Spain, Rocko has constructed concentric, diamond-shaped frames alternating in white and yellow with blue segmented lines marking the edges of each layer. Intricate, faux Arabic script fills the interior and creates a mesmerizing visual pattern that encourages meditation as your eyes trace the ornamentation of the marks.

In the middle of the composition, anchoring your gaze, an arresting young woman with a piercing expression wears a decorated veil and holds a blue symbol in her hand. Joel painted this imposing figure, giving her a strong sense of plasticity, and, impressively achieving a diaphanous texture with her bejeweled veil. The palm-shaped amulet she holds, known as a hamsa or khamsah symbol, is significant to both Jewish and Islamic communities throughout the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). It is commonly understood and used as a symbol of protection against evil. As such, the colored, geometric bands and perimeters of blue squares can be seen as a force field or shield emanating from the talisman in the foreground. In fact, her body appears behind the diamond-shaped brackets. Based on the similar spirit animating Claiborne’s photographic series, the street artists selected this particular symbol as the centerpiece of their mural in order to highlight the common heritage of those belonging to MENA communities during a time when religious conflict and divisions were escalating.

Louis Masai Michel  is back in Bushwick!!Situated between Flushing Avenue and Jefferson Street, the artist's latest mura...
24/04/2023

Louis Masai Michel is back in Bushwick!!

Situated between Flushing Avenue and Jefferson Street, the artist's latest mural, commissioned by the Bushwick Collective , graces the façade of L Train Vintage on St. Nicholas Ave. Like previous murals he completed in the neighborhood in 2016, this one directly addresses endangered species, ecological violence, pollution, and environmental activism. To date, he has painted over 200 endangered species murals around the world.

Consistent with his approach to past murals, this one presents a whale enmeshed in nets, plastic refuse, and ropes with a clear, condemnatory message above: “Starved and Drowning in Your Plastics...” Masai’s rendering of animals as stuffed or plush animals can be understood in several ways. First, as he has explained, the reference to stitched and handmade objects is comparable to how quilts are family heirlooms, passed down from one generation to another. As such, Masai encourages us to see the planet and its various biomes as something equally sentimental and worthy of preservation for future inhabitants of the earth. In the same vein, his colorful patchwork animals call to mind Fabergé eggs, items of high value, beauty, and preciousness that require care. At the same time, the vibrant squares bear an uncanny resemblance to icons found on the screens of smartphones, which is perhaps a commentary on the role of technology (potentially positive or negative) in ongoing debates about climate change, despeciation, and the decisive role humans will play in the next few decades.
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Louis Masai Michel is a painter, sculptor, illustrator, and muralist living in London, UK. He studied at the Falmouth School of Art in Cornwall and has participated in a number of well-regarded artist residency programs, such as the AIR program with Urban Nation in Berlin, DE.

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Friday 12:00 - 13:30
18:00 - 19:30
Sunday 12:00 - 13:30
18:00 - 19:30

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About the Tours

I'm an art historian, independent curator, and cultural critic based in Bushwick. I've been a curatorial assistant for an annual street art exhibition that commissioned murals from internationally acclaimed artists like Eduardo Kobra, ROA, Herakut, and Phlegm. Most recently, I served as a public art curator for the MTA in New York, helping contemporary artists translate their designs into site-specific works for the subway system. I'm deeply passionate about contemporary art, architecture, the history of my neighborhood, and I'm eager to share my knowledge with others.

Bushwick has long enjoyed a reputation as a mecca for the world’s most illustrious street artists, who have radically altered its urban landscape. Residential, commercial, and industrial buildings have all served as large-scale canvases for muralists to engage with the history, sites, and people of one of the most dynamic neighborhoods in Brooklyn. However, local residents and visitors don't always have easy access to basic information regarding any given mural, such as artist biography, artistic motivation, or how the content and style relate to local architecture and the community's rich past. This carefully curated and independently researched tour is designed to provide greater context surrounding key works of art while simultaneously introducing guests to some of Bushwick's local establishments. Whether you’re a native New Yorker looking to find out more about the public art you walk past every day or a tourist in town looking for a less conventional excursion, this 1.5-hour tour offers in-depth information presented in a fun, engaging way. Unlike other tours, we'll only be focusing on a small number of murals, allowing us to dissect the symbolism and meaning as a group.

As of November 2018, we have partnered with two exceptional Air BnB hosts to provide accommodations to travelers seeking out street art in Brooklyn. If you will be visiting New York in the coming months, we encourage you to book your lodging with Janet or Michael, who have listings near the route of the walking tour in Bushwick. We offer a 25% discount on walking tours to guests staying with Janet or Michael.

(1) Private Garden Home next to Subway