I NY: New York Street Art

I got the first pressing of this book (the one that Kelly Burns published himself a couple of years ago) before there were so many graffiti and street art books on the market. At the time, it was an awesome collection of works, but this new updated publication is an incredibly thorough and beautifully captured collection. It shows in Burns' work that he truly loves the art and is not just looking to jump on the latest trend. He leaves no wall unturned as he takes his readers off the beaten path to discover those preciously fleeting and inspiring works that may have existed for mere hours, as the is the nature of graff/street art. Artists like jet+rubble, Monster, Skewville, Momo, who lesser known, are given as much page-estate as the more prominent names represented--look for Neckface, Bast, Swoon, Kaws and London Police. Also new from the previous version, are some very cool artist portaits. Obviously, Burns has been able to connect with the people behind these works and gain their trust--a rarity in this underground artform. Burns is a gifted photographer who really captures the feeling of the street in his pictures. There is depth and energy I have not found in other graff/st.art imagery, which makes this book all the more exciting to look through. The only mystery to this book, which I consider a flaw, is that this updated edition has the same cover as the first edition, when in fact the contents are very different. If I had not been showing it to someone in a bookstore, I'd have never known. Regardless, I NY is awesome and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys, art, photography and the thrill of discovery.

There are two types of New York art culture: The "high" (consisting of museums, operas, galleries, etc) and the "lowbrow" one (consisting of street culture, graffiti and stickers, illegal bits and bobs of visual stimuli provided by renegade artists). Most people are familiar with the former. It is the true New Yorkers who appreciate and understand the latter. "I NY" is a huge photographic collection of just that, which is called "Street Art": It's free. And it's fantastic.Street art is not simply graffiti. Most of it is of quality caliber, excellent graphic design sense, and subversive in nature. I've walked down the street only to find a cute atari-esque alien creature composed of colored tiles, mounted on the base of a stairwell---like a peekaboo toy. Or a realist, acrylic-painted hummingbird floating over a decaying brick wall, providing a glorious trompe l'oeil. I'll be trudging home, and see a spray-painted cartoon face spanning the lid of a trash can--this spontaneous find is so cheerful. One can even discover elaborate, huge, meticulous paper-and-exacto-knife cutouts mounted on walls by SWOON (my fave street artist) that inspire nothing but awe and can make even the most jaded Wall Streeter stop in his or her tracks. Street art not only sweetens the gritty surroundings of New York but provides you with a delicious nugget of free art that comes from pure, unabashed, authority-defying self-expression. The best part is that it's totally unexpected--and because of that, you feel like you've found a hidden treasure that just happens to brighten your day. This book gets 4 stars because it's about time that someone compile a coffee-table worthy book on street art that doesn't consist of boring graffiti mural after graffiti mural. Congrats to Kelly Burns and collaborators for bringing this book to reality. However, to me it's a sampler/primer, because i've seen better examples of street art that were somehow missed, and there simply is just too much good stuff that can be crammed into one book. I'd suggest visiting www.woostercollective.com for a comprehensive look. Beautiful Decay is another magazine celebrating street art. If you don't live in NYC, then this book is a perfect souvenir. I highly recommend getting this book because it's permanent, and it's valued for the wide range of photographs which would be impossible to curate on your own. I find most of my street art below 14th street in Manhattan, although it's everywhere. You just have to LOOK.