WHAT'S
UP?
Staff
Editor-in-Chief
T.K. Mills is an art journalist based in New York City. After receiving a Master’s Degree in Global Affairs, he discovered a love for graffiti while backpacking through Cuba. T.K. has written for several art publications including SOLD, Global Street Art, and Arte Fuse. Additionally, he manages the street art blog, Well Pleased We Dream. Beyond art, T.K. loves reading and traveling.
Deputy Editor
Christina Elia is a freelance journalist and personal essayist from New York City, where she currently writes about topics ranging from street art to pop culture, television, and travel. Her work has been published online in GenderIt and has appeared in print in Graffiti Art Magazine. When she isn’t writing, you’ll find her wandering the streets of Chelsea or the LES, taking advantage of whatever free art she can find and wondering if she’ll ever be able to make rent in Manhattan.
Executive Designer
Tiago Masseti is a graphic designer based in New York City. With a degree in Visual Design and Marketing from ESPM Brazil he has contributed to a diverse range of projects—from branding to editorial, typography to illustration—in multiple cities across the Americas. With more than 10 years of experience as a freelancer, Tiago has spent time in Miami, Los Angeles and Brazil, helping companies meet their design needs and fulfill their marketing goals.
Social Media Manager
Caitlin Sowers grew up outside of Pittsburgh, PA and received her Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts and Art Education. She was first exposed to street art when she saw Shepard Fairey’s solo show at the Andy Warhol Museum in 2009. A former high school teacher, she moved to New York in 2017 to pursue a Master’s Degree in Art Business and graduated from Sotheby’s Institute of Art in December 2018. Caitlin also loves fostering kittens, going to art openings, and spending time in Prospect Park. In addition to writing for UP, Caitlin leads tours of New York City’s subway art.
Director of Photography
Ana Candelaria is a Lower East Side based photographer. She is currently an active contributor for Street Art NYC and a member of Shooter Street Art. Ana’s work has been featured in YV Magazine, displayed in MIKEY Likes It Ice Cream Shop, Unbound: Authentic Visions and Voices as part of a series, as well as Home Grown, a group show that featured Lower East Side natives. Ana has also collaborated with artist My Life In Yellow on a limited edition run of prints. Within the past three years she has established herself as a self taught street art photographer, writer and artist and has received recognition for her photos from street artists from all over the world. She enjoys traveling and nature.
Associate Editor
Claire Carvounis is a graduate of Emerson College where she received a Bachelor’s Degree in Media Arts Production. Throughout college, she was able to also pursue her passion for art history and found herself being drawn to street art during her last semester while taking Contemporary Art in Los Angeles. Claire spends her free time writing with a screenwriters’ workshop she holds for her friends, reading, and trying not to lose her Massachusetts accent although it’s wicked hard.
Insta: @clairecarvo // Photography Insta: @flash.notfiction
Email: clairecarvo@gmail.com
Twitter: @clairecarvo
Contributors
Writer
Based in Saint Paul, MN
Tyler Bruett is a writer and musician from Minneapolis, Minnesota, who is now based in New York City. Fascinated with contemporary culture, he finds pride working with emerging artists, street artists, and musicians alike. He is passionate about using his experience to bridge the gap between artists and the city they inhabit.
Graffiti Photojournalist
Based in Los Angeles, CA
Los Angeles Flicks was born and raised Echo Park, Los Angeles. She has always been attracted to the camera, the power it holds to capture a particular, unique moment in time while looking through the viewfinder; the people, places and things the spinning world offers up. She tries to make sense of it all through photography and writing.
grooveysneakers@yahoo.com
Photographer / Writer
Based in Los Angeles & San Francisco, CA
Karen McDonough is a street art photographer/hunter who has been shooting in the streets of Los Angeles and San Francisco since 2015. She finds that public art says a lot about the culture of a city, whether intentional or not, and encourages others to get out and explore their own community to discover its magic. Her motto is “Yes!” Her best friend is the Googler. She believes that walking is the best policy and blank walls should be criminal. Her theory? Birds will take over the world because people rarely look up.
Insta: @flipsidemcd
Website: flipsideofthecity.com
Writer/Artist
Based in The Bronx, NYC
Alexandria Deters is a queer femme embroidery artist, researcher, activist, archivist, and writer based in the Bronx, NY. She received a BA in Art History and in Women and Gender Studies at San Francisco State University in 2015 and her MA in American Fine and Decorative Art at Sotheby’s Institute of Art, NY in 2016. Her writing and artwork are influenced by her belief that every human being is a ‘living archive’, a unique individual that has experiences and stories worth documenting and remembering.
Website: https://www.alexandriadeters.com
Instagrams:
Photographer
Based in Brooklyn, NYC
Katie Godowski is a Brooklyn-based photographer who has been a passionate photographer for the last 16 years. She loves to photograph street art, humans and whatever she stumbles upon during a photograpy walk. Her work has been featured in New York magazine, TimeoutNewYork, and B&H optics photography contest.
Insta: @katiegodowski_photography
Website: www.katiegodowski.com
Writer
Based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Emma Riva is a native New Yorker who has been writing for as long as she can remember—her first “novel” was a tale dictated to her father about a tiger in her washing machine at age two. Her fiction and poetry appear in Rainy Day, Eleven and a Half, Freshwater Literary Journal and more.
As an art writer, she is particularly interested in working with international artists and exploring how visual art can both transcend cultural boundaries and highlight the complexities of individual identity. She brings passion and care to representing artists’ visions and a background in storytelling to weave their work into narrative journalism. She is a graduate of Eugene Lang College and currently based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Insta: @EmmawithGlasses
Website: emmawithglasses.com
Artist/Writer
Based in New Jersey
Chun Park (Chunbum Park) was born in Seoul, South Korea in 1991. He came to the United States in 2000 and attended Montgomery Bell Academy for high school. He briefly attended University of Rochester and Bergen Community College from 2009 to 2011. Since 2011, he has aspired to become a practicing artist and studied at various schools, such as the Rhode Island School of Design, the Art Students League of NY, and the School of Visual Arts. He will receive his BFA from SVA in 2020.
Photographer / Writer
Based in New Jersey
Jeanelle Folkes is an NJ based love and lifestyle photographer, and owner of Jeanesque Photography. Born in NY and raised in NJ, she was always drawn to graffiti, but started consistently shooting street when she discovered her love of wandering city streets locally and internationally. She currently writes for ThirdRailArt and UP Magazine, and contributes photos for Shooters Street Art. When she’s not shooting, she loves baking her delicious soft baked cookies.
IG: @streetartdesire / @jeanesquephotography
Email: streetartdesire@gmail.com
Website: www.jeanesquephotography.com
Writer
Based in London, United Kingdom
Andrew Bell is a freelance writer from Massachusetts and is currently based in London. While living in Istanbul for five years, he became immersed in the graffiti and art culture of one of the oldest cities on earth. He loves getting lost in unknown cities, loves music, and tries his best to differentiate between honesty and bullshit
Writer / Photographer
Based in New York, New York
Kurt Boone is a freelance writer and author. He is most noted for his work documenting street cultures. Some of his books are “Asphalt Warrior: The Story Of New York City Fastest Messenger,” “The Culture Of Messenger Bags,” “Aerosol Art Culture: A Day At Graffiti Hall Of Fame,” and “Fresh Plywood NYC: Artists Rising Up In Age Of Black Lives Matter.
Website: www.kurtboonebooks.com
Insta: @kurtboonephotography
Writer
Based in Washington D.C.
Emmanuel Brown is a freelance writer from Prince George’s County, located right outside of DC. Initially having an interest in sports journalism, he discovered his love for the arts and culture while studying Communication at McDaniel College. Since this discovery, he has been expanding his writing portfolio to help others discover their purpose and interests. When he is not writing, Emmanuel is either collecting sneakers, watching the latest episode of Atlanta, or out exploring the DC/Baltimore nightlife with his friends.
IG: @lifeofeman_
Writer
Based in Brooklyn, NY
Vittoria Benzine is a street art journalist and personal essayist based in Brooklyn, New York. Her affinity for counterculture and questioning has introduced her to exceptional artists and morally ambiguous characters alike. She values writing as a method of processing the world’s complexity. Send love letters to her via:
Insta: @vittoriabenzine
Site: vittoriabenzine.com
Email: vittoriabenzine@gmail.com
Photographer
Based in London, UK
Sabrina Ortolani was born in Argentina. She studied photography in Washington DC, New York, and London and is currently pursuing a BA in Business and Marketing at Anglia Ruskin University in London, where she also works as a freelance photographer and editor. Sabrina likes to explore different cultures and use them as inspiration to create vibrant photos.
Writer
Based in Singapore, SG
Griffin Suber is a Washington, DC native currently working out of Singapore. Maybe Thailand or Bali…it varies. A contributor to several publications, he’s into culture, buildings, and exploring diverse perspectives. When not interviewing artists or cuddling with his laptop, he enjoys diving, making beerpizza (one word), and anti-government rhapsodies.
Writer
Based in Portland, OR
Moira Hampson is a street art photographer based in Portland, Oregon. Her passion for street art has driven her to travel the world to learn about street art and its relation to community.
Insta : @wisdomher
Writer
Based in London, UK
Candelaria Barandiarán was born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Her passion for learning different cultures has led her to live in Hawaii, California, France and now the UK, where she resides in London. Candelaria has written articles and short stories for several publications such as Tundra, Argentina Cultural Exchange, WorldPackers, Chicas in New York, and currently writes a column for The Londoner blog “People Who Do Things”. When she is not traveling or meeting new people, you can find her in a vintage bookshop.
Insta: @candebarand
Writer
Based in Brooklyn, NYC
Noah Daly is a New York-based writer and journalist. Since 2016, he has traveled extensively throughout Panama, China, and Western Europe reporting on politics, human rights, and art. In the days before COVID, he joined the staff of the Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute at New York University as a student advisor and administrative aide for the graduate program. A New York native and a graduate of Brooklyn College, Noah spends his free time surfing and studying Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
Writer
Based in Los Angeles, CA
Brian Bloss is a Los Angeles based artist, writer, and photographer. He enjoys long walks on the beach and anything wrapped in bacon.
Photographer / Writer
Based in NYC & New Jersey
Mr. Candid // Lonnie Richards is a native of Morrow, Georgia. Lonnie has been doing street photography for eight years. He specializes in taking candid photos of the people he sees. Lonnie likes to photograph the street art and graffiti he observes as he strolls through the city. An Iraqi War Veteran, Lonnie served eight years in the United States Marine Corps. Lonnie is a history buff and likes to research American history whenever he can.
Insta: @mrcandid0_0
Profile Photo Art by @SuitsWon
Photographer / Writer
Based in Toronto, Canada
Marlon Porter is a photographer from Toronto, Canada specializing in nature and fashion. He is also a lover of words and all things art. When not taking pictures you can find him cooking in a restaurant kitchen at night and attempting to travel the world one budget flight at a time.
Instagram: @Marlonp_photos
Photographer
Based in Boston, MA
Chris Macera was born and raised in Rhode Island. After attending the University of Nevada Las Vegas, earning a B. S. in Criminal Justice, he travelled coast to coast for work, finally landing in Boston. When he is not working or touring around neighborhoods looking for street art, he tries to spend time with family and at the beach any chance he gets.
Insta: @somethin_on_the_walls15
Writer
Based in New York City
Sierra Chapledaine is a comprehensive creator based in New York City, who specializes in writing and photography. She is on an endless pursuit to share with the world that which is worth knowing and exploring—this insatiable desire fueling her expressions in life.
Writer
Based in Colorado Springs, CO
Greg Hamm is a contrarian writer and allegorist. Based in Colorado Springs, he received his bachelors in human physiology and psychology from University of Colorado Boulder in 2014. With his background more in sports and health science, Greg is our dark horse satirical commentator. Outside of writing, you can find Greg in the national parks of Colorado conducting research on his side project, moose husbandry.
Insta: @Mr_Orange35
Art Show Calendar Manager
Based in Los Angeles, CA
Ana-Alicia Salazar is a native Angeleno, Art History major, and Preschool Teacher. She has written for BeautifyEarth.org as well as press releases for artists and is currently constructing a blog. When she’s not canvasing the streets of L.A. daily, Ana likes to listen to art and self-help podcasts, and write poetry.
Insta: @laartlife
Poetry Instagram: @awkwardsilverlinings
Email: OrangeCrush_00@yahoo.com
Writer / Photographer
Based in Toronto, CA / Havana, Cuba
Amir Saarony’s body and mind live in Toronto, Canada but his heart lives in Havana, Cuba. Amir first went to Havana in the late 90s, during the final years of the Special Period for what was supposed to be a 3 week work assignment that ended up lasting into the 21st century. In Toronto Amir has been a graphic designer/art director for over 30 years. After over 100 trips to Havana Amir has participated in many projects. From consulting with businesses, working with social causes and humanitarian aid to writing books and articles. In 2019 Amir published Painted Walls Havana, a 386 page coffee table book on the emerging street art scene in Havana. Falling back on his fine art and art history education Amir is now on a mission to show the world the other side of Havana. The one you do not see in the tourism ads. His next dream is to create a documentary on the urban scene in Havana.
Instagram: @painted_walls_havana
Artist/Comic Book Creator
Based in Atlanta, Georgia
Richard Santiago II is a Visual Artist that was born in Bronx NY, grew up in 5 other cities, and now resides in the suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia. He studied Visual Communications in Manhattan in 2005 and is currently a practicing freelancer. Over the years Richard’s art work has been published and featured 67 times in books, newspapers, and magazines. He has recently self-published his 5th book. Richard grew up and around graffiti art and is a graffiti artist himself. Now, he is happy to present Malcolm’s Reign under the umbrella of UP Magazine.
Insta: @rsantiagoart
Writer
Based in Rome, Italy
Alessandro Pozzolo was born in Rome, Italy. He holds a Master from Lancaster University and is studying for a PhD in Creative Writing. You’ll find him nose-deep in some obscure 1950s novel, typing away on his cranky Lenovo laptop, or spraying fat letters across Europe with DIY-store cans. Catch him on Twitter at: @alelucapozzol.
Photographer/Writer
Based in New York City
Wendy Random is a photographer and writer from Los Angeles and has been mainly a street photographer for at least fifteen years. Emphasizing on street cultures such as tattoos, graffiti, artists from different mediums, and documents lowrider cars globally as well. Her photography has been exhibited across the country and writes for different publications such as LA Taco and the South Side Weekly newspaper in Chicago. While living in LA, Wendy focused on using her vision to bring awareness to the homeless communities, which led her photographs for exposure in the hardcover book, The Art Of Skid Row. Wendy is currently living and working in New York City to expand her career.
Instagram: @wendyrandom
Writer
Currently Based in Berlin, Germany
Sasha Lukyanova is an Irish girl living in Berlin currently interning at a street art marketing agency. With a background in film, she enjoys freelance writing about the arts, fashion, and anything in between. After her stay in Berlin, she is relocating to London in search of new adventures.
Instagram: @sashhaaa
Writer
Based in New York, NY
Madeline Katz is a writer currently based in New York. Her articles and short stories appear in Fordham University’s The Observer and Grain of Salt Mag. She enjoys seeing the layers of street art build up around the city as they constantly change. She is currently intrigued by the aesthetic discourse surrounding the differences between Posca and Krink markers.
Insta: @maddie_katz
Writer / Photographer
Based in Los Angeles, CA
Anthony Luna is a writer/photographer from Los Angeles. He seeks to be on the frontier of the human condition and believes expression to be our most valuable tool in life.
Instagram: @luna.x.tsuki
Writer / Photographer
Based in Brooklyn, New York
Miranda Levingston is a Brooklyn-based arts, culture and organizing reporter who has work in VICE News, The BK Reader, the Bushwick Daily, and NYU News. Levingston also moonlights as a street artist, but she’ll never tell you which one.
Contact: MirandaLevingston@gmail.com
Instagram: @MirandaLevingston
Twitter: @MLevNews
Mid-Atlantic Editor
Based in Richmond, VA
Ricky Parker is a multidisciplinary artist & curator inspired by the intersections of faith, advertising and American history. He believes that African American history is American history, and that two can not be mentioned separately. Parker uses art as a medium to communicate challenging ideas and topics around race and self-esteem. He considers himself a “servant” and views his art practice as a ministry.
Insta: @iamrickyparker
Past & Guest Contributors
Writer
Savannah James is a freelance writer formerly based in Brooklyn, New York and now based in Italy. After completing her bachelor’s degree in Art History at FIT, she felt called to pursue writing as a way of further exploring art and culture and its evolving relationship with society. She is interested in storytelling and the various ways life can be documented. Savannah is also a contributing writer for the Bushwick Daily and Bklyner.
Insta : @jamesxsavannah
Writer
Kurt McVey is a writer, artist, curator, and performer living in New York City. He has contributed to The New York Times, T Magazine, Interview Magazine, Vanity Fair, PAPER Magazine, ArtNet News, Whitehot Magazine, Architectural Digest, Cultured, Forbes, Quiet Lunch, Hyperallergic and more.
Insta: @whyankombone
Website: kurtwithyou.com
Writer
Naomi Falk is a writer, who tends to fixate on art, intimacy, pain, and the ways in which we engage and disconnect our sensory perceptions. Also, she is the Rights Coordinator of MoMA’s Publications Department, the co-founder of the new print magazine/collective NAUSIKÂE NYC, and an editor for Archways Editions. Living in Brooklyn these days.
Insta: @Celardolor
Writer
Formerly based in Dallas, TX – Currently based in New York, NYC
Trace Miller is a freelance journalist and essayist born, raised, and based in Dallas, Texas. He’s a Southern writer who will write about anything under the sun, as long as it’s interesting. His work has appeared in D Magazine, Central Track, the Dallas Morning News, the Bangalore Review, and Entropy. He’s going to study comparative literature and economics at New York University.
Photographer
Raphael Gonzalez is a self-taught photographer, who focuses his work on street photography. A street art enthusiast, he can be found on the streets of New York City photographing the rich street art and graffiti scene. Raphael is particularly interested in documenting artists as they work in public spaces and presenting his photos in interesting ways, telling compelling stories.
Profile Art: Portrait of Zurbaran by Fumero
Insta: @zurbaran1
Email: zurbaran927@gmail.com
Writer / Photographer
City Kurupt is a journalist pursuing a BA in Studio Art and minor in Journalism. She was born and raised in Chicago and focuses on the underground graffiti scene spanning throughout the city. Through artist interviews, photojournalism, and documentary film, she aims to fight stigmas and discuss controversies surrounding graffiti culture using an ethnographic approach.
Profile Art: Bleh the Punk Buddha
Insta: @citykurupt
Writer / Artist
Madelyn Harlowe is an artist and writer based in New York City. Currently, she studies visual media. She’s still not quite sure how she ended up in the big city. When she’s not writing, you can find Madelyn painting obscene images in glitter watercolors, dancing in the LES or thinking about her kitten, Lolita. Send her secrets via:
Insta: @madelyn.harlowe // Email: Madelyn.harlowe@gmail.com
Photographer
Jeff Mancilla is a published blogger/photographer based out of Chicago. For the past decade, the primary focus of his work has been documenting and advancing urban art. From graffiti, street art, and murals, he enhances the perspective of his subjects by capturing images with a keen eye for color, detail, and surrounding landscapes.
Insta: @acid_dropz
Writer
Naomi ‘Milk’ Oguriyama is an editor and writer based in Tokyo. She has a passion for art and graffiti and reports on the real scene in Japan. Milk loves coffee and Onsen. Send her poems via:
Insta : @milk_meetokyo // Email : naomi.oguriyama@gmail.com
Writer
Samantha Chilli is a Pittsburgh-born, Brooklyn-based journalist with a love of street art and all things spooky. Her world travels have brought her closer to the street art communities in New York City, London, Helsinki, and more. Sam has twelve years’ experience with The Beaver County Times in Pittsburgh, PA, and manages a metal music blog, Metal Solstice.
Insta: @pittsburgh_sam // Email: samantha.chilli@gmail.com
Photographer / Videographer
Mike Cazares was born in Chicago and lives in the Brighton Park neighborhood. He has been doing street photography for 3 years. He enjoys exploring the city on his bicycle and taking photos in Chicago’s 77 different neighborhoods, and discovering sticker slaps and new pieces of street art and graffiti.
Insta: @mickcaz73 // Email: thirdeyeimageschicago@gmail.com
Graphic Designer
Bella Scheier is a college student at the University of California, Davis studying design. She is a multidisciplinary artist focusing on graphic design, photography and textile design. She enjoys reading, driving around looking for inspiration, and drinking coffee.
Insta: @isabellascheier
Writer
Pramila Baisya, known as Prim is a writer and photographer based in New York and New Jersey. Her passion for photography started as a curious child and has slowly intertwined with fascination for street photography and street art. She’s also a personal essayist, and media writer, currently pursuing a writing degree at The New School.
Instagram: @heyyyitsprim & @prims.fotography
Writer
Erika Muth is a digital & film photographer, zine designer and publisher. Easr is a graffiti writer, art hustler, and train enthusiast. Together they are ‘Parallel Rails’. The duo is based out of Texas, and creates work in the spirit of the railroad.
Insta: @parallelrails
Website: parallelrails.bigcartel.com
Writer
Alexa Modugno is Winston Wise’s global art editor. She has an extensive background in the art world, having worked at a variety of galleries in New York City as a curator and consultant. Her knowledge of the arts is expansive, and she served as a reporter for several art fairs including the Armory Show.
Insta: @Insideouter
Photographer / Writer
Gabriel Carpes is a Brazilian photographer graduated in Architecture and Urban Planning based in Porto Alegre, Brazil. As a photographer, he focuses on documentary and visual stories on themes such as urban life, politics and personal life.
Insta: @gabriellcarpes
Website: gabrielcarpes.com
Writer
Whitney Graham is a recovering Floridian and New York adoptee, who graduated from NYU with a BA in English and American Literature. She first moved to New York City in 2014 so she could study poetry in the same location many of her favorite writers started. Her favorite elements of NYC are its cultural diversity and creative heartbeat.