So street it's chic
Some innovative thinkers seek to make creativity a part of everyday life, from nightclubs to T-shirts.
By Sharon Kennedy Wynne
Published September 13, 2007
The hottest trend in modern art isn't likely to be found hanging in a museum.
Instead, look for it inked on some dude's arm, spray-painted on an alley wall or screened on a T-shirt.
For today's modern artists, anything, from the back of a neck to a canvas sneaker, is a valid medium.
"A person's still going to know your name and buy your art, even if it's on their body or a T-shirt," said tattoo artist Scott Lukacs, co-owner of the St. Petersburg gallery Blackout Creations. "That's the beauty of lowbrow art."
Not all artists are as unapologetically "lowbrow" as Lukacs, but the influence of poster art, tattooing, comics and digital media is finding a home in even the high-end art scene.
"A lot of these artists grew up with underground revolutionary punk, hip-hop, the skateboard scene, so they aren't afraid to express visual elements that might be considered commercial," said Jay Giroux,28, a Tampa artist who trained in London and at USF's highly lauded GraphicStudio. "There's now a level of professionalism to this rebelliousness."
Art over ego
The emphasis on collaboration is part of the charm of this populist art form's new visibility in Tampa Bay.
At RedLetter1 in Ybor City, a tattoo parlor with gallery space, the gritty work of Tampa artist Brandon Dunlap is on display. The Skatepark of Tampa's Transitions Art Gallery two weeks ago hosted an evening of scooter-related art. In June, local artists began decorating the front window at Urban Outfitters in Ybor City with edgy displays.
Even the Arts Center in St. Petersburg will host "Skin City: The Art of the Tattoo" in mid October, featuring some of the best contemporary artists in the country.
"I want to convey this trend that I had seen in other parts of the country in contemporary art," Arts Center curator Amanda Cooper said.
It's not a trend the galleries and museums of Tampa Bay have devoted much attention to yet, a frustration for local artists.
"It's like, there is a market, but as far as appreciation for it in Tampa, that hasn't happened yet," said Chris Kelly, a Tampa artist who helps local artists get their pieces in the Urban Outfitters storefront.
Dunlap's current show at RedLetter1, Kelly notes, is "super affordable ($100-$500), especially for the quality of that work, it's amazing. . . . If that same show was in San Francisco or New York, it would be selling for much more and selling out."
These artists find alternative paths to the mainstream. Giroux, who has a line of T-shirts, sees an untapped market for art in nightclubs.
Club Czar, for one, has hosted the annual Dirty But Sophisticated party the past few years, pumping up local fashion, art and music artists.
"Think of all the people who don't go to galleries and museums," Giroux said. "If you can get half the people at a club to pay attention to the artwork, they walk out of a social environment thinking about the art. That's many more people we've touched than we would at a gallery."
An evolving process
Blackout Creations opened a year ago in St. Petersburg with the plan to bring attention to the growing constellation of artists who can deliver this street sense in a polished artistic framework.
Founded by Lukacs, 29, and graphic artist Chris Parks, 28, high school buddies from Venice, Blackout is a combination graphic design and tattoo studio with gallery space. Tattoos and graphic art jobs pay the bills, but the gallery "is our way of giving back," says Lukacs.
In June, they drew 200 people for the opening of "Robot Invasion," a collection of works by renowned digital artists whose robot-themed pieces had appeared on MTV and Cartoon Network.
On Saturday night, Blackout will hand over the space for a monthlong show of an Asian-themed collection called "Big Trouble in Little St. Pete." The highly stylized pop art, dragons and samurai come from more than 20 artists around the world. Lots of local artists will take part, too, including RedLetter1 tattoo artists Angelo Nales, Jeff Srsic and Lucky Matthews.
Inside the Blackout Creations gallery, digital art is an equal partner with pens and brushes.
For example, one stylized moth, titled Dissection, started as a pen and ink drawing by Lukacs. Parks scanned it into his computer, where he sharpened the image and added flourishes that have the effect of confusing the viewer. What's drawn and what's printed by the Mac? It's nearly impossible to tell.
The moth was printed and painted with watercolors, then scanned back into the computer.
The final product, a neon yellow and green collection of bug parts that is both beautiful and gruesome, was printed on canvas, numbered, framed and priced at $160.
"Some people call it 'pop surrealism,'" said Parks, who studied at the Ringling College of Art and Design.
Their work appeals to "a different kind of art community," one that's younger and not as conservative, he said. "It's art for the masses, and it's affordable."
The experience can be as important as the art, and the image can easily disappear. For example, the current display in the Urban Outfitters window, by Matt Squires, uses a motion sensor to send up balloons as people walk by.
"These are the kind of artists that aren't taking themselves so seriously," said Brad Hoffmann, whose recently closed vintage clothing store in Ybor City held numerous art-meets-fashion events.
"With an artist like Jay Giroux, you can find him online or with apparel. He'll bolt it to the side of a building. His attitude is 'I don't care where it is, I just want it out there.'"
More street art outlets
RedLetter1: The tattoo parlor with gallery space is at 1510 E Eighth Ave., Ybor City. (813) 241-2435.
Skatepark of Tampa's Transitions Gallery: 4215 E Columbus Drive, Tampa. (813) 621-6793; transitionsartgallery.com.
The Arts Center: "Skin City: The Art of the Tattoo" opens Oct. 12 and runs through Dec. 31. 719 Central Ave., St. Petersburg. (727) 822-7872; www.thesartscenter.com.
Owl Movement: These Tampa T-shirt masters get graphics from artists around the world and print them in limited edition designs. They've turned up on the backs of Veronica Mars characters and VH1's Best Week Ever hosts. Available online at www.owlmovement.com.
Resist Today: One-stop shopping for independent artist products. It has a huge collection, from the ceramics and screen prints of Brandon Dunlap to the political-rant shirts of Josh Bertrand from the RedLabor collective. Online at www.resisttoday.com.
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