modern design in the streets...

Ever wonder what happens once an artist finishes a street piece?  There are a myriad of possibilities. Sometimes it sits unnoticed and is allowed to weather gracefully with time.  Sometimes it is modified by others who seek to improve it or destroy it.  Sometimes it is buffed by Mayor Daley's graffiti blasters before anyone has been able to notice it.  To this list of possible scenarios we can now add that sometimes it is used as a photographic background to sell high end modern design pieces at auction.

Chicago's Wright auction house has evidently been sneaking some of the design pieces out of their gallery and into the alleys to get ready for their upcoming auction: Modern Design 12 October 2010.  The auction catalog features a handful of photos that break free from that perfectly-lit-void in which most auction objects seem to be photographed.  Instead of nothingness we get to see some classic furniture and decorative arts posed (or perhaps juxtaposed) in front of street art pieces by the likes of Cro and Don't Fret.

When asked about the placements we discovered that Cro felt it was strange to have one of his 'Blago' stencils being used as a backdrop for a chair by French designer Jean Prouve (above left).  Don't Fret, on the other hand, thought it was pretty funny that the Sol Bloom settee was posed in front of one of his characters (above right) and added the narrative: "I guess the young fellow grew up to be a furniture seller".

View the entire auction on Wright's website wright20.com and be sure to let us know if you recognize any of the other Chicago street art backgrounds.

gun god go

We've had a number of people send us tips about these cheerleader stencils that have been popping up around Chicago.  For the record, no, they are not by Banksy.  The piece, Gun God Go, is the brainchild of internationally noted Chicago artist Ray Noland aka CRO.

We can't get enough of these ladies in black, as they conjure up memories of the cheerleaders we still lust after from that 20 year old Nirvana video.  Let there be no doubt that these faceless embodiments of teen spirit are the antithesis of those Nirvana ladies.  They eschew the anarchy signs and tattoos and raw sexuality of yesterday's counterculture for the highly charged symbols of our current right wing jingoism.
Smells like culture wars.

And in other CRO news, Run Blago Run has been making appearances around town again sporting some air yeezys.  Check out recent sightings on our flickr.

CRO: Killing Chicago Soflty

When Ray Noland (aka CRO) heard Mayor Daley's statement "Welcome to America. Americans kill each other every day..." it prompted him to create an image. The resulting print, "Daley Riot", features the scowling Mayor in full riot gear emblazoned with the phrase "Welcome to Chicago" on his chest.


The picture above was taken recently on the street and appears to be Noland riffing on the same theme in the public arena. We love how the menacing face of Mayor Daley perfectly fits the scale of this ad, and how it comically delivers subtle reinforcement of the Mayor's inflammatory and unnerving statement. Killing in America is as ingrained in our society as movie posters are. Welcome to Chicago. Chicagoans kill each other every day.

Ray Noland's upcoming solo show: Sweet Tea & American Values has its official opening on Friday June 11th from 6pm - 11pm at the newly renovated Chicago Urban Art Society in Pilsen. For now you can check out Noland's website Creative Rescue Organization where you can peep his blog, see behind the scenes pics of the show installation in progress and purchase the print "Daley Riot".