Murals – UP MAGAZINE

Pay Peanuts, Get Monkeys: The Devaluing of Public Art With Lucas Geor

“It’s funny the hand that artists play in gentrification. Artists will move into an area because the rent’s cheap, maybe the buildings are a bit run down so people don’t mind you painting on the walls. They make the area look cool, and people start to come, and then developers catch on to it. They put up apartment blocks. And then they run out all of the artists who live there. That’s kind of the cycle. As more and more of that happens, I guess people just seem to think that art is for free, you know?” – Lucas Geor

The Striking Vision of the Maxo Vanka Murals

In an austere church in Millvale on a hillside above the Allegheny River, the haunting murals of Maxo Vanka celebrate immigrant life, religious faith, and our shared humanity, while also lamenting society’s ills and flagrant inhumanity.

A Glimpse Into the Talent of Andre Trenier

Andre Trenier is a New York based multidisciplinary artist. Born in the Bronx, art has always been a fixture in his life. His passion for the arts has led to creative experiences around the world – read up on a few of his many accomplishments.

The Collected Parables of LeCrue Eyebrows

The anonymous painter and muralist wrapped his first show in New York City this spring — but despite his accomplishments he wants our focus to remain on our own interpretation of the art.

The LISA Project’s 10 Year Street Art Odyssey

Ten years after it sprang from a pair of murals on Mulberry Street in Little Italy, the LISA Project has been responsible for hundreds of murals on the streets of NYC and beyond.

The Dove and Her Labor of Love – The Story Behind the Bed Stuy Walls

Artist Miki Mu successfully delivers on creating the first annual mural painting festival aimed at beautifying Bed-Stuy. Adjacent to Stuyvesant Ave, famous for Spike Lee’s annual block parties, the Bed-Stuy Walls festival brings art, music and positive vibes to inspire the local community.

Is Freemans Alley About to Go Commercial?

After decades as the Lower East Side’s go-to open air art gallery, Freeman Alley is facing pressure to go commercial. Not if the LES street art community has anything to say about it.

UP5 Preview – Sticker Slaps to 18 Stories: A Conversation with D*Face

With more than two decades in the game and an illustrious career, prolific enough to warrant its own Wikipedia page, D*Face ranks among the living legends of street art.

Hiraku’s Gentle Giants

Brooklyn-based artist Hiraku uses her murals to spread positivity for all without it turning toxic and to use her kawaii-influenced characters to make people smile in the toughest of times.

Early Riser’s New York

Early Riser has cemented herself as a dynamic multimedia artist whose wide oeuvre spans from impassioned politics to heartfelt pet portraits. Emma, a fellow native New Yorker, spoke to her about her origins as a printmaker and how a mural of Prince led her into street art.