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
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:
Associate Editor
Christina Elia is a freelance writer whose work centers on the confluence between visual culture and language. She was born and raised in New York City, where she currently lives, and writes about various topics, ranging from creative nonfiction to street art, culture, travel, and leisure. Christina’s work has been published in online publications such as The Odyssey, Select City Magazine, CURA Magazine, and has appeared in print in The Tishman Review and UP 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.
Contributors
Writer
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.
Writer
Savannah James is a freelance writer based in Brooklyn, New York. 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.
Photographer
Ana Candelaria is a Lower East Side based photographer. She is currently an active contributor for Street Art NYC and member of Shooters Street Art. Ana’s work has been featured in YV Magazine and displayed at MIKEY Likes It Ice Cream Shop and was featured in Unbound: Authentic Visions and Voices as part of a series. Within the past two years she established herself as a street art photographer and has received recognition for her photos by street artists from all over the world. She is currently working on her first photography book to accompany her upcoming exhibits. She enjoys traveling and nature.
Writer
Noah Daly is a New York based writer. Since 2016, Noah has traveled to Panama, China, and throughout Western Europe writing on politics, travel, and art. A New York native and a graduate from Brooklyn College, Noah spends his free time surfing and studying Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
Writer
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.
Writer
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.
Writer
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
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
Brian Bloss bio coming soon.
Writer/Photographer
Moira Hampson is a street art photographer and visual storyteller 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.
Photographer/Writer
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.
Guest Contributors
Writer
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
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.
// Email: ale.barajas66@gmail.com
Writer
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
Writer/Photographer
Lonnie Richards is a native of Morrow, Georgia. Lonnie has been doing street photography for seven 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. In addition to being the photographer for UP Magazine, Lonnie is a history buff and likes to research American history whenever he can.
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
Writer
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
Writer
Madeleine Phillip bio coming soon.
Writer
Naomi Falk bio coming soon.
Writer
Alexa Modugno bio coming soon.
Writer
Kurt McVey bio coming soon.
Writer
Zane Foley bio coming soon.
Writer
Griffin Suber bio coming soon.
Writer
Erika Muth bio coming soon.
Writer
Jordan Dimaso bio coming soon.
Writer
Gabriel Carpes bio coming soon.
Design
LOGO DESIGN
Pitch Black is a New York City ar tist who uses cultural iconography to make pop art. Black star ted painting modular work that would accommodate people living in limited urban environments. Inspired by the very definition of pop art – finding, procuring or otherwise repurposing images from our cultural collective – Black gets excited by taking these found elements and combining them in surprising ways. He also draws upon his publishing and marketing
background to utilize all aspects of art and design.
COVER DESIGN
COVER DESIGN
Fumero is a New York-based artist whose work incorporates aspects of graffiti, street art, and contemporary muralism. Known for his iconoclastic style, Fumero is the subject of the documentary, Fumero-ism: The Grafstract, directed by Keith Arnowitz. As a professional artist, Fumero travels the world painting.