#SPZero76

[inspireif]

Another concept sketch in progress. I wouldn’t mind painting this somewhere, if anyone has a wall spare. #aftertherobotapocalypse

[whiteladysmuses]

@loruntomi on Instagram: “Artwork by @spzero76 - #spzero #spzero76 #stockwell #london #streetart #art #contemporaryart #urbanart #lovelanemurals #mural #wallart…” https://buff.ly/2ykg8Ym https://www.instagram.com/p/CAcUes9AwNl/?igshid=he9x82l69e15

[izdamann]

Bushwick Culture Crawl

Thinking back to better days before the world was put on pause. The Mrs. and I went on a “Bushwick Brooklyn Culture Crawl”. Getting off the L train at the “Knickerbocker St. Station” in the summer you can feel it in the air. Rhythmic Congo beats, the lifeline and guide of these vibrant streets, they fill the backdrop of daily latinx life everywhere.

“Love is Color” by Dina Saadi Bushwick Brooklyn at the corner of Knickerbocker and Troutman

“The Brooklyn Way” by @spzero76 at the corner of Knickerbocker and Troutman

Collab by Pocko’s Art and Joel Arista

After walking around we worked up an appetite. We stopped at “Mad Tropical” (236 Troutman Street) to grab a bite. Tacos and empanadas fuel the soul. This is where sweet tamarindo juice is authentically sold At night it’s a source of rhythmic vibes. A perfect place to relax and unwind.

Bushwick Brooklyn is a beautiful place.

With culture oozing from everywhere you’ll definitely want to embrace.

If you ever get a chance to walk the graffiti tour I highly recommend the experience.

Looking at all the beautiful vibrant expressions of emotion poured onto the neighborhood walls of resilience.

After the tour stop off at one of the many authentic restaurants and take in the flavor of the natives.

The consumed delicious flavor party in your mouth will be extremely persuasive.

As my cheesy poem attempts to reflect on contemporary times in Bushwick Brooklyn I am reminded  it didn’t always look this way.  Bushwick Brooklyn wasn't always considered so called “desirable”. It was a neighborhood that showed that promised economic opportunities weren't fully realized by all.  It provided a space for those who would claim it out of necessity when it was so called “undesirable”.  Like so many urban areas in the country, in an effort to survive these communities were and are forced to live in low cost areas.  Opportunities for minorities whether they are home grown or from lands across seas were very scarce for the better part of America's history right up until contemporary times.  People of latin and afro identity flocked to these neighborhoods across America looking for a place to call home.  From a time when minorities were being taken advantage of by being sold property at astronomical unrecoverable price points or not being sold property at all based on their heritage. Bushwick Brooklyn within the past two decades has transformed itself into an Artsy “Desirable” neighborhood where only those who are well off can afford to live.  Historically Bushwick has been a predominant LatinX neighborhood.  Take a walk down Bushwick Avenue between Boerum St and Meserole St to see the prosperous non latin restaurants thriving.  Or can I suggest strolling down “Graham Avenue”, a block in a neighborhood that is predominantly latin I remind you,  affectionately renamed the “Avenue of Puerto Rico” and observe all of the established eateries and lounges of other privileged nationalities other than latin.  No, Bushwick Brooklyn was a very different place not so long ago.  Restaurants where one can fill on arroz con pollo, arroz con gandules and empanadas were plentiful.  That unfortunately, is no longer the case.  So now that Bushwick is now considered desirable where can I ask is all the historical cultural flavor?  

[scrawlrbox]

The work of our Sept ‘20 box featured artist and man of many characters @spzero76 - Unicorns, gecko’s and bags of style. What’s not to love?! - Make sure to give him a follow. You won’t regret it and while you’re there drop him a comment and say we sent you. 😉 #sharethecreativelove https://www.instagram.com/p/CHN7RR-AMDJ/?igshid=136l5j858s63w

[nettculture]

Cool illustrations & murals from Bristol / London based illustrator & street artist SPzero76 at http://spzero76.com/  “Attack of the Killer Donuts”, © SPzero76

[venusinorbit]

The boundary between unwanted graffiti and sought-after street art is blurred. What is clearer, however, is that these artworks are perceived to have value.

In certain contexts, governments actively encourage people to unleash their spray cans onto the walls of a city.

In the UK, Glasgow City Council funds the creation of new murals on the basis that it grows the reputation of the arts community and contributes to the city’s image as a cultural centre. In Australia, Melbourne sells itself as the street art capital of the world and even funded an app to guide users around notable works in the city.

While the economic impact of street art is difficult for academics to measure, the fact that governments are willing to use public funds shows that street art is clearly believed to be worth something to locals and visitors.

Why then, is the copyright of street artists being infringed repeatedly?

[itsaverycolorfulworld]

Spread love it’s the Brooklyn way. Art By @spzero76 and @spreadartnyc #Spzero76 #SpreadArtNyc #Brooklyn #Bedstuy #NycStreetArt #TheBrooklynWay #DopeArt 😎❤️

[coolinspiration]

Thanks @SPZero76 for my @after_the_robot_apocalypse comic and extras! I loved reading the back matter to see the original paintings that inspired this series! (at Swindon) https://www.instagram.com/p/CjC6ZGrqAGj/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[mikmcdade]

So @boohoomanofficial @boohoo are using artwork in their Ad campaign for #boohooman with @dele without the permission of the artists. A little credit goes a long way! @si_mitchell and @spzero76 deserve some credit for part of the background art here! Good on @bbcarts for their article.. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3rP8CyPsyFsYs6QCmXmGGBW/graffiti-grievance-when-street-artists-and-big-brands-clash #sharethis #stolenart #creditthrartist https://www.instagram.com/p/BoKo4AfF-7V/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=w7xo6tfkaja5

[whiteladysmuses]

Keith Hopewell aka: SPZERO⠀ “Tested out the new @posca_uk @uniball_uk colouring pencils and pastels! Love them. Nice little set. Here’s a video... and a cat tail (at…” https://buff.ly/2LrWvAo⠀ #spzero76 #spzero #untoldnewsuk https://www.instagram.com/p/CAHfk7-gtSI/?igshid=1italhliygrnc

[elrickerikose]

Brooklyn Way: Bushwick Street Art #bushwick #brooklyn #ladyliberty #bushwickstreetart #nyc #ny #photo #photography #photographer #instatravel #travel #tourist #USA #США #ньюйорк #бруклин #фото #фотограф #art #graffity #streetart #wall #colorful #car #граффити #искусство #стена #iloveny #ride #streetart @bushwickstreetart @spzero76 (at Bushwick, Brooklyn) https://www.instagram.com/p/B0OM3WLBrfs/?igshid=h656liw4ag0c

[scrawlrbox]

Highlights of the UK Illustration Championships 2019: Such a great weekend full of talent and creativity. @illustratedworldseries put on a great show and it wouldn’t have been possible without all the competing artists. @lawrence.hugh.burns @ewanagain @kingtrou @nicmacillustration @lazyobit @boyishmind @kidcrayon1 @lamolisha @mattiasink @tonyriff @spzero76 @doodlesndrips @tizerid @Hatch_art @nicolasrossiusisnotevil @sledone @thatblokewilson @joefurlong_art @pencilbandit @alihamish @pode_red @badleprechaun @roots_0121 @russelltaysom @ginger_dan @buhloonehead @n_.colas @tomblackfordart @_the_real_dill1 @bur.t @kennydesignsit @notdeadyetclub Make sure you check them all out to see more amazing illustrations and follow @illustratedworldseries for more great events like this. #KeepScrawling https://www.instagram.com/p/B6G3VoJgimw/?igshid=5b7zwhdpe7a7

[ukgraffitiphotos]

@spzero76 // 💥💥💥 // #streetart #urbanart #spraycanart #graffitiart #sprayart #graffporn #graffphoto #graffphotography #graffitilife #graffitilove #graffitiart #urbangraff #urbangraffiti #urbanwalls #urbanwall #aerosolartist #areosolart #ukstreetart #graffitilover #graffitiworld #graffitiwall #londongraffiti #londonstreetart #londongraff #londongraffitiart #streetartinsta #graffitiandstreetart #artoftheday #instaart #bombingscience https://www.instagram.com/p/BtelBwHgjN4/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1kpr5sjlvk993

[venusinorbit]

Good morning and happy Monday! 👊😄💋🌞💖I wanted to share a recent video from @wellingcourtmuralproject coz there's nothing like some dope art to start the week right ✌️😉👌with @col_wallnuts @sean9lugo @eyez @cost @curbyourego @patchwhisky @djjs1 @pazroc @crew_infamous @rarigrafix @artistikznewyork @magmagrela @shiro_one @spzero76 @yes0ne @panicrodriguez @hissxx @free5.nyc @chrisrwk @mattsiren @hanksynyc @sacsix @lexibellaart @daniellebknyc @crispstreetart @w3rc and others. Hope you enjoy and have a good one! 💕💖💕 #wellingcourtmuralproject #nycstreetart #nycgraffiti #colwallnuts #sean9lugo #eyez #adamcost #curbyourego #patchwhisky #ghostbeard #jerms #topaz #rarigrafix #ralphserrano #magmagrela #shiro #spzero76 #yes1 #panicrodriguez #hissxx #free5 #chrisrwk #mattsiren #hanksy #sacsix #lexibella #daniellemastrion #crispstreetart #w3rc #venusinorbit (at Astoria, Queens)

[grusik]

SPZero76 + Cloakwork graffiti, Shoreditch by duncan https://flic.kr/p/2iSQBzp

[inspiringcityuk]

Just before the World Cup, the fashion chain Boohoo ran a campaign starring Dele, the popular England footballer. Anticipated to be a hit at the tournament, Dele didn’t disappoint and so for the fashion chain to associate themselves with such a key player was wise indeed. The campaign itself featured Dele wearing clothes designed for the BoohooMan label. In the photos he is standing against an edgy backdrop of street art murals. Certainly, the combination of Dele, the clothes and the urban art backdrops must have been considered well by Boohoo. Targeting a younger male demographic it was a glorious combination of associating clothes with the edgy street art scene and the name power of a footballer like Dele.

Posters featuring the BoohooMAN campaign featuring Dele and artwork from Bristol artist SPzero76. Photo courtesy of London Calling Blog

MARKETING PERFECT STORM

So far so good! Some good marketing and timed particularly well to take in the excitement and association of the World Cup. The street artists involved in the campaign must have been delighted too. Alongside Dele, the photographers, the graphic designers, the printers, the advertisers and the people in the marketing team at Boohoo, they must have been well rewarded right?

Wrong! You see despite the art itself being integral to the imagery on display and despite the clear associations that street art gives to a brand marketing itself to a young male audience. It would appear that none of the artists involved got any sort of remuneration for their work at all. In fact, many only knew that their art had been used in such a way when adverts started to appear featuring the work. Eventually forming part of a major marketing campaign, poster sites across the country were bought and suddenly the images were all over the place.

The main image in the poster campaign featured Dele standing next to an artwork from SPzero76. Photo courtesy of London Calling Blog

ARTISTS VS. BIG BRANDS

Now the brand is at the centre of a legal battle. It’s a dispute which surely must ask the question, is it okay to use creative content for advertising purposes and not pay for it? It’s something that brands have fallen foul of before. H&M in America ran an advert which heavily featured the work of the American graffiti writer Revok. The resultant furore on social media resulted in lashings of bad publicity. Of course the argument here always centres around whether something created either legally or illegally in the public domain can be used in such a way. The Revok example with H&M was something created in the public domain which did not have official permissions attached to it. However, it was deemed to be sufficiently of value for H&M to want to associate their brand with it. The art itself was identifiably by the artist and was clearly his work. H&M by using it as a backdrop to their marketing campaign clearly thought that they would be able to appeal to their target demographic in order to sell their products.

Part of the campaign from the BoohooMAN website. This image features artwork from Irony

An online image featuring another model again standing in front of work from SPzero76

The Boohoo example is slightly different. The art was not in the public domain and was in fact created as part of a legal ‘paint jam’ in a building. Permission was granted for the jam to take place and all the art created was for fun. The jam itself was organised by our friends at the London Calling Blog in order to celebrate their blogging birthday. Think of it as a group of pals getting together in order to paint and have good times. We covered the jam on Inspiring City but never revealed the location. This was very much an undercover and quite personal event.

A UNIQUE AND EYE-CATCHING BACKDROP

In reality the issue is quite a common one for street artists whose work is becoming ever more sought after. It is after all a unique and eye-catching backdrop for photographers and videographers. People stop in the street to admire it. They take selfies and they post to social media. Most of this is fine of course and the reality is that street art is becoming ever more recognised as a way of bringing people into an area. Look at the likes of Shoreditch, Brighton and Bristol to see what kind of associations an area can make to appeal to a younger type of audience.

A model stands by a piece of art from Woserski. This image was taken from the Boohoo website on 18 September 2018

KEY SELLING POINT

The reality is that the art created by street artists is considered by brands such as Boohoo to be key selling points. They enhance the appeal of the products that they are selling to certain buying groups. For the brand it helps them identify as cool, as part of the mainstream and in the moment. Where artists really seem to take offence is when art is used in a way which is clearly meant to add value and where that brand is clearly using it to sell goods or services. Would the pictures of Dele have been as appealing to the target demographic of BoohooMan if he was standing next to a blank wall? Would it have been as appealing if he was standing against an average street scene or maybe in a natural setting? The truth is that at some point it was decided that urban art was a key feature for selling clothes.

Dele Alli next to work from Skeleton Cardboard. This image was taken from the Boohoo website on 18 September 2018

BUT THINK ABOUT THE EXPOSURE

One of the biggest in jokes on the street art scene is the “it’ll be great exposure” line. The excuse that people make when using artwork to sell as if on the back of it the artist would magically gain a treasure trove of contacts and commissions. The exposure line is one which companies like Boohoo perhaps have in the back of their mind when they use images like this. Exposure however, does not pay the bills!

At best the Boohoo saga exposes a flippant disregard for the creative rights of artists. Advised on a number of occasions that the creative used was without the artists permission, at the time of writing many are still there now. Perhaps not wanting to distract from the no doubt significant investment of the campaign during the World Cup. In hindsight it might perhaps just have been easier to work with the artists to see what compromise could be reached. Perhaps it’s a conversation that could have started with the word sorry!

The original art subsequently used by BoohooMAN on their advertising campaign was created on 7th and 8th January 2017 in a building in Soho. The event was organised by the London Calling Blog as part of a private paint jam and was covered by Inspiring City here.

BoohooMan, Dele Alli and the Street Art Saga – Big Brands and the Exploitation of Artists Just before the World Cup, the fashion chain Boohoo ran a campaign starring Dele, the popular England footballer.