12 INCH 4 - Record Vinyl Art Show

Cool new art exhibit running now through November 7 up in Winnipeg Canada. Where graffiti and vinyl become one.

Who knew that great music could look so good?

Organizers of a Winnipeg record-album art show clearly see the long-lasting appeal of LPs, nearly two decades after they became obsolete.

More than 170 of the vinyl albums are filling the core-area Graffiti Gallery with a bright and bold hue for 12 Inch 4, an art show to run through Nov. 7.

"They're all on vinyl. We've got the works of artists all the way from Iran, France, Brazil, Mexico and Chile," said organizer and curator Rodrigo Pradel of the illustrations -- sketched, painted or otherwise constructed -- on the records' grooved surfaces.

"We have some from England and all over the States, and locally. And all over Canada as well."

At least 14 Winnipeg artists have made the cut, so to speak, for the event at the graffiti-covered gallery at 109 Higgins Ave.

"I'm impressed with the quality," said gallery artistic director Pat Lazo. "And with the effort that the organizers put into it, just for the love of it."

The fourth edition of the show -- which kicked off last night with a special reception -- has the illustrated LPs, as well as some 45s and even gramophone records, up for sale and available for viewing at the non-profit gallery run by Graffiti Art Programming Inc.

Admission is a canned-food item to go mainly to the Gallery's starving artists. The event is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays from noon to 5 p.m.

Those who check it out will likely be surprised at how far records have come in the name of art.

More information is at 204-667-9960, and online at 12inchart.com.

[Winnipeg Sun]













For more images and info, check out 12inchart.com.

Tony Silver, Style Wars director, R.I.P.

Director of the legendary hip-hop documentary Style Wars, Tony Silver, died last weekend after battling an irreversible brain condition for several years. Tony Silver, died surrounded by family at his home in Los Angeles on Friday February 1, 2008. His passing ended a courageous two and half year battle with brain cancer, a disease which he defied longer than anyone thought possible.

Mare 139, one of the artists in the film, has posted about Silver's death on his blog.

Shot in New York City in the early '80s and originally airing on PBS in 1983, his documentary is considered to be the first film about hip-hop culture. While the 70 minutes covers rap and breakdancing, its main focus is on graffiti, which at the time was viewed by some as a groundbreaking art form. Style Wars shows an altered urban landscape and serves as a snapshot of life here in the early '80s, with a "cast" ranging from Mayor Koch to renowned graffiti taggers to the Rock Steady Crew to subway maintenance workers. Check out the original trailer:

The film won the Grand Prize at the Sundance Film Festival upon its release. In 2003 Silver revisited his work and released a companion film called Style Wars: ReVisited. The 34-minute piece checks in on 26 of the of the original film's participants.

http://www.stylewars.com/
www.myspace.com/stylewars

Watch the full movie...
Style Wars

A documentary of New York graffiti circa 1983. Presented by Tony Silver & Henry Chalfant. A production of (c) 1983 Public Art Films Inc. (a non-proffit organization), all rights reserved.

For those of you in the New York area, Tony’s daughters Mariko and Nini and his wife, Lisa will be holding a remembrance gathering at 4pm Saturday February 16, 2008 the New York Society for Ethical Culture:

4 PM, Saturday, February 16, 2008
New York Society for Ethical Culture
2 West 64th Street
New York, NY 10023