To me, most street art wants to accomplish three little things that add up to the idea of ’shocking’ the viewer. The word shock isn’t entirely appropriate as it implies something drastic–’changing perspective’ is probably more appropriate but kind of boring, so whatever. ‘Shock’ it is. Anyway, according to me, the three things that all projects of this kind attempt to do are:

• presenting art where it’s least expected
• commenting on the use of public space
• being (or trying to be) extremely clever

Those generally add up to the possibility of ’shocking’ the passerby out of his/her normal sensibility or (if we want to start posturing) complacency, even.

Based on these criteria, I don’t exactly understand why Aakash Nihalani’s street art succeeds, but it does. His photography is great, his shapes are clean, clear, and fun. Maybe that’s it–the sense of fun that comes through in what he’s doing, which is really remarkably simple. It’s direct, well-photographed, and has a reasonably clear explanation by the artist as to what he thinks it is, and what he’s trying to do:

I’m not trying to push a certain highbrow logic or philosophy or purposefully communicate through the esoteric medium of art. I work instinctively, trying to follow my gut about the sensation of color and space, and have fun doing it.

On the ‘a-ha!’ scale, it’s about the same as when you were a kid and you first figured out that you could draw a two-dimensional square on a piece of paper, and then by adding some diagonal lines, make it into a three-dimensional object. The simplest thing in the world, which is probably why I like this stuff, because it’s a reference to that discovery in what’s already a multi-dimensional environment.

My street work consists mostly of isometric rectangles and squares. I selectively place these graphics around New York to highlight the unexpected contours and elegant geometry of the city itself. All execution of a piece is done on site with little to no planning.

Head over to his site for more quality work on display. His photography really does add a ton to the enjoyment of his work, it’s great stuff.

Ever wander into your spam folder, just for a laugh? I remember when a certain strain of spam was getting through GMail’s filter on an almost daily-basis, and I actually liked it, becuase the titles were ridiculous. I’ve kept a few of my favorites. I particularly liked the ones that kept beating GMail because of an extra, strange word placed after the main spam pitch. The body text was usually filled with a piece from a Tennesse Williams play or an extract from Dickens, which just made it all the better. The top ones:

Subject: It’s easy to spice up your sex life. stinkpot
Subject: Wow! Won’t she be impressed. mucilage 
From: Shortfall M. Twinge
Subject: If you need software, we’ve probably got it. embalm
Subject: Ambiguous Stench
Body: prodding of! children polymer was curry powder sat firefly reckon tapeworm closely,
Body: Hey, How have you been, Your situation doesnt matter to us!
Body: Kids are the result of great love. 
But if you have any problems with that, Spermamax can help you.
Subject: Discreet way to jazz up your love life. piracy 
Subject: Be the man that your wife wants you to be. indigent 

Linzie Hunter had the same idea, but she took it to a great new level. She started illustrating prints of the best spam messages she would get, and made a flickr set out of it. After getting some big notice online some months back, she eventually made 12 prints of the best ones.

There’s something great about seeing these useless, hilarious, easily ignored lines done up as nice typography by a talented illustrator. I’m always a sucker for when an artist takes a bunch of useless crap out of a useless context and makes it into something good, and Linzie has done it here with just about the most useless, annoying corner of the internet.

And even better news now, as she’s about to publish a book of postcards, featuring 30 separate hand-painted spam lines you can now send to your cherished loved ones. And it’s got an awesome title, too. Technically it’s just “Secret Weapon”, but really it’s “This Secret Weapon Will Give More Power to Your Little Soldier”, which is a work of art in itself. It’ll be out in November, allowing you to “move spam from the inbox to the mailbox where it belongs”, which is a commendable idea in itself.

Amid much fanfare opens the Museum of Arts and Design in New York City’s Columbus Circle. Until 2002 this museum was called the American Craft Museum, but that name was too much glue-and-sparkles or old-furniture for a fickle youngster like me, and probably for most of the people who might be drawn towards what’s actually inside the building. Hence the re-branding.

Having just opened, they’ve launched their inaugural exhibition, called Second Lives: Remixing the Ordinary. It’s a series of 50 exhibitions that refashion a bunch of materials into new pieces. From what I can gather this isn’t any kind of large-scale statement on recycling material or the terrible vagaries of consumption, which is a welcome approach. It’s far better to treat the show as art first, and allow the social implications of the work to rise up from the viewer’s response, rather than having it spelled out as an overarching (and thus slightly boring) theme.

But check out fine art critic Roberta Smith’s review of the show in the New York Times:

There is a simplistic political thrust to a lot of this work, but environmental sensitivity is mostly nil. Some questions for the artists here are: Thought about your carbon footprint lately? Are more iterations of this tired Surrealist idea needed? Are you really giving the objects you’re using a second life, or just enabling them to last longer and take up more space?

If I’m reading her right, she’s asking that any exhibit with a “simplistic political thrust” at least deal, using a modicum of subtlety, with a top political issue of the day. If you’re going to call your exhibit Second Lives and make other political points with it, at least say something smart about the environment, she suggests. The museum, on the other hand, says that “while the focus of the exhibition is neither on sustainability nor recycling, the works in the exhibition are a catalyst for thought and discussion about these issues.”

Now reading, talking, and doing things about consumption/carbon footprints/etc is a heavy, important thing for all of us to pay big amounts of attention to, but when art exhibitions are yoked into the service of environmental concerns as their primary raison-d’etre, something is lost in the process. Being virtuous and thinking morally about the environment are beautiful things, but I have yet to be convinced they’re ideal frameworks for an art exhibition. There’s still time to change my mind, but for now I like the museum’s subtle approach.

And besides, Smith’s final verdict? “I recommend a visit.”

Some of the more notable exhibits on show include:

Trinity: Grandma, Spike, Bubbles (2007) by American artists Andy Diaz Hope and Laurel Roth. These custom chromed chandeliers are designed in traditional neoclassical form, but are made of hypodermic needles, gelatin capsules and Swarovski crystal which reflect drug culture themes. While seductive in their beauty, the chandeliers are a chilling reminder of a darker side of contemporary life.  (from the museum’s website; photo credit: Schroeder Romero)

There are also a couple that are just straight-up aesthetically pleasing to gawk at. They also both happen to be made of vinyl, which might explain my attraction. One is shown above–Paul Villinski’s My Back Pages, in which his records take off and fly away as a series of butterflies. It’s good. The other, “Sound Wave” by Jean Shin (check out the Times for the photo) is a giant wave molded out of old records.

If you’re in New York City soon, stop by–you’ll see a load of original design in a wonderful space. Smith says “the opening displays, it must be granted, reflect an institution that is wild with delight at having for the first time a real museum building of its very own.”

An additional note: the MAD acronym and entire re-branding campaign was done by the famous Pentagram agency, who have a great blog post on the big spread of work they’ve done for the launch.