The Butthole Surfers had a song which contained the lyrics " You never know just how you look through someone else's eyes". With that in mind we've decided to allow some posts from out of town graffiti and street art photographers from other cities that have visited the Bay Area. We'll admit that we have our own biases (we're human just like you) towards some artists and really couldn't give two shits about other's works, so we think it will be enlightening to see what others think of the Bay Area scene.
So, our first in this series comes from Anthony Bora aka Bora Da Explorer. Currently residing in and flicking the hell out of Naw'leans we met him on a recent trip to the bay. We have him to credit for this idea. Catch more of his flicks here:
@Boradaexplorer
Nolawalls.tumblr.com
So, from here on out, the viewpoints expressed in the post are not ours, and we will not edit or censor anything submitted. Hope you enjoy this experiment and make sure to check out part 2 next Monday.
in the words of Bora...
After spending some time in San Francisco I ventured to Oakland. I spent much of my time in West Oakland and the area around International Street. I really appreciate the system of alleyways in Oakland. In New Orleans a system like this does not exist; the city is mostly below sea-level so tunnels don’t work. Most of the spots artists hit out here are abandoned buildings and areas still ravished by Katrina. The gems you come across in New Orleans are buried deep inside abandoned warehouses, hospitals, theatres, and factories, compared to Oakland where you have public walls crushed with beautiful murals or tribute pieces. I would love to see the city of New Orleans get to a level where we have legal walls or areas to paint. It seems that cities with lots of legal walls attract better talent and keep beginners from getting up all over the place.
In the Bay Area you don’t see many toys crushing spots or public walls because they know better. Storefronts are paying artists to paint murals because it keeps the toys off the wall. In New Orleans toys run through the French Quarter leaving garbage tags all over. The city of New Orleans has had a tendency of looking at all graffiti as garbage and vandalism, but luckily, that is changing. Tourists aren’t venturing out to ravished areas to see beautiful artwork, and but some locals and transplants have started exploring hidden areas to find great work and show it off.
Street art in the Oakland area brightens up the neighborhood, and allows local artists to give back to the city while interacting with the community. I chose the photos below because it is a mix of amazing art, murals, tribute pieces, and local Bay Area artists.
All photos taken by Anthony Bora
@Boradaexplorer
Nolawalls.tumblr.com
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| Resek MTA WC UTI : an Oakland legend who brightens up the upper east side of Oakland |
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| Asend ATT DCS : a great piece with amazing line work |
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| Excel BSK (a tribute piece to the Oakand legend Dream TDK ) |
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Jurne YME TGE :
One of my personal favorites out of the Bay Area. His line work and color selection really impress me. He makes the art look like it is literally popping off the wall |
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| Goser EMT TDK UPS TFL : A real creative tribute piece that looked pretty fresh |
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| Vogue TDK : Another Bay Area artist shows us amazing work with exceptional shading |
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Chris Granillo : He has many murals in Oakland,
but this is my favorite character that he does. He calls these Humming Bees |
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| Nina GIRL MOBB : I really like her style |
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| Big Walls for Rock Paper Scissors with Irot / Nina / Chris Granillo |
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Eddie Colla x D Young V
Last year when I was in the Bay Area I got to see a few pieces Eddie did that were part of an animal takeover series he did. It had elephants with gas masks on and flying monkeys. I’ve been a fan of his ever since and it was great to see a piece of his on a large scale |
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| Ras Terms PTV BSK / Grow DWT PTV : I like seeing vans used as a canvas |
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| Ernest Doty x David Polka x Brett Flannigan - just a small section of a really large mural |
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| Ernest Doty CBS |
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| Ernest Doty CBS : I chose these three pieces by Ernest because he is a modern day version of Bob Ross in my opinion. His ability to shade brings his creatures to life. He is one of the best doing and he literally Can’t Be Stopped |
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| The Monster Wall : Ernest Doty x Griffin One CBS x Skinner |
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| Never : I’ve seen artwork from this artist in Atlanta, New York, and The Bay Area |
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| Irot CHE STM OH : Irot’s work impresses me because of how many different styles he has. He can do letter work, he can do characters, birds, and huge murals. I liked that about Bay Area artists, a lot of them can do 5 or 6 different styles and are constantly keeping themselves busy |
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| Gats PTV : Another Oakland legend, Gats has been crushing the Bay Area for years. This is a wall done at pallet space in Berkeley |
Hope you enjoyed an outsider's view of the Oakland graffiti and Street Art scene. Stay tuned for another post from Anthony bora next week !
