Art

The Last Outlaw Art Form?

Everything from spray-paint scrawled initials to monumental publicly-funded murals might be called street art, but most of the pieces in Trespass: A History of Uncommisioned Urban Art fall somewhere in between – unsanctioned but appreciated, sometimes quite widely, and even tacitly allowed. Still, the works benefit from being made and seen in places where they shouldn’t be – as famed street artist Banksy puts it in his brief introduction, “…beyond the ‘No Entry’ sign everything happens in higher definition.” The over 300 works – compiled and contextualized by Paper magazine Senior Editor Carlo McCormick, Wooster Collective founders Marc and Sara Schiller, and editor Ethel Seno – include 150 artists spanning four generations, working around the world, making pieces massive and political, small and quirky. Trespass presents them by theme, as part of a growing movement, rather than as they might be seen on the street – by location, and at a particular time, sometimes a very brief one. Below, a few pieces.

Skullphone, Clear Channel Digital Billboard, Los Angeles, California, 2008, copyright Curtis Kulig, courtesy Taschen

Skullphone, Clear Channel Digital Billboard, Los Angeles, California, 2008, copyright Curtis Kulig.

JR, 28 Millimeters, Women Are Heroes, Morro da Providencia, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 2008, courtesy JR

JR, 28 Millimeters, Women Are Heroes, Morro da Providencia, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 2008, courtesy JR.

Paolo Buggiani, Minotaur, Brooklyn Bridge, NYC, 1980

Paolo Buggiani, Minotaur, Brooklyn Bridge, NYC, 1980

Filippo Minelli, FACEBOOK, Bamako, Mali, 2008, courtesy Filippo Minelli

Filippo Minelli, FACEBOOK, Bamako, Mali, 2008, courtesy Filippo Minelli

Nick Walker, Mona Lisa, London, England, 2007, courtesy Nick Walker

Nick Walker, Mona Lisa, London, England, 2007, courtesy Nick Walker

Joey Krebs the Phantom Street Artist, Los Angeles, California, 1993, copyright Anthony Friedkin

Joey Krebs the Phantom Street Artist, Los Angeles, California, 1993, copyright Anthony Friedkin

Thundercut, Chinatown Walker, New York City, 2007, courtesy Thundercut

Thundercut, Chinatown Walker, New York City, 2007, courtesy Thundercut

ZEVS, Liquidated McDonald’s, Paris, France, 2005, courtesy ZEVS

ZEVS, Liquidated McDonald’s, Paris, France, 2005, courtesy ZEVS

Harald Naegeli, Death Series, Cologne, Germany, 1981, copyright Hubert Maessen

Harald Naegeli, Death Series, Cologne, Germany, 1981, copyright Hubert Maessen.

All images courtesy TASCHEN.


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