Artist Logan Hicks can always be depended upon for being straight up and not a total donkey... enjoy his most recent newsletter and check out Logan Hicks / Broken Crow - New York show - May 1st, 2009
Dark Days / Bright Nights
The summer is nearly upon us and I am finally ready to emerge from my winter cocoon.
The past few months I have been mulling over what the future holds and contemplating the state of this art world. My conclusion? I need to do more and listen less. Fuck all the nonsense about how 'urban art' (whatever the fuck that is) is losing it's appeal. Know what I think? Art is art. You can define it ever how you want. You can slap whatever labels on it you want and you can talk about subgenres of art til your dick gets hard, but at the end of the day, art is just art. Good art will flourish and bad art will fade away. Darwin was right. Only the strong survive.
I am glad we are going through this recession. Don't get me wrong, I do miss the easy sales and the bank account with an extra zero, but the art world needed this. Too many people were making a living off of art that shouldn't be. Many saw Banksy selling pieces for $200,000 and thought 'i can do that' - and for a while they did!It became formulaic. It went something like this:
- Draw up a character that is cute (or edgy). If you can't draw, think of clever sayings that make people think you are rebellious and insightful. Then juxtapoz them against stencils made from photos you didn't take.
- Rush out to the street to wheatpaste, spraypaint, or stencil said character (or sayings) in a couple dozen spots. Repeat this for several weeks.
- Have gallery show, sit back, and cash in on the current wave of 'urban art'.
People were scooping up artwork like a fat kid at a cake buffet. When it's easy, everybody is an artist, but It's the hard times that define a person, not the easy times.
So here I sit at the crossroads. Do I wait this thing out til prices rise again? Or do I move forward and act like things are the same? Who knows. What I do know is that the more I analyze the 'state of the economy', the less time I have to focus on my artwork. At the end of the day none of it matters. The talking heads will continue to analyze and drone on. The artists will continue to create. Being overly analytical of your industry only handicaps your ability to create freely. So I say fuck it, let's do a show.
I am proud to announce BROKENHORSE:
Brokenhorse
Broken Crow / Logan Hicks show in New York City May 1st
The past few months I have been talking more with my friend John Grider from Broken Crow.
I met John a few years back. I had the good fortune to paint with him in Melbourne, Australia during the stencil festival and again at the Cans Festival in London
John called me up and asked if I'd be interested in doing this show in New York. I have been living in New York for the past 2 years and I have never really done a proper show in here. I have done a few live painting events, but nothing formal. So I figured what the hell. Lets do it.
We secured the location of a former Hamilton Savings and Loan Bank. There are tons of terrible puns we could make, like "it's art you can bank on", but I digress.
This show will open the evening of May 1st and will remain open May 2nd and May 3rd. Then it will fade into obscurity, so come early and see the offerings. I invite all of you to attend this show. I am very excited about the chance to show what I have been doing the past year.
For the official press release, click here
