Scene Report: Art In The Streets at MOCA

Art In The Streets, Geffen Contemporary at MOCA, Los Angeles, CA, 7/9/11

From the MOCA website: "Art in the Streets is the first major U.S. museum survey of graffiti and street art...the development of graffiti and street art from the 1970s to the global movement it has become today...paintings, mixed media sculptures, and interactive installations...will emphasize Los Angeles's role in the evolution of graffiti and street art, with special sections dedicated to seminal local movements such as cholo graffiti and Dogtown skateboard culture. A comprehensive timeline illustrated with artwork, photos, video, and ephemera will provide a historical context for the work."

From the first time I heard about this, I knew there was no way I was going to miss this show. Words can't describe how much stuff is up in here.  Just amazing.  It's like, everything I love about...I don't know...life.  All in one place at one time.  I can't imagine the amount of work that went into putting this together.  Every time I turn the corner, there is something new--something or someone I recognize, some artifact from my youth, something I've only heard about or seen in magazines.  Its like constantly trying to catch your breath but never being able to.  The poor GF is dizzy within' minutes of being in here and it's going to take hours to get through.  There is literally no escape from the imagery--explosions of color, dirt, grime, sound, words, debauchery, etc.  It's swirling all around us. Haze's original sketch of the Beastie Boys Check Your Head logo, Jaime Reid's original Sex Pistols collages, Jean-Michel Basquiat, cholo lettering, Neckface, Craig Stecyk's Dogtown photos, Fab Five Freddy, Bozo Texino, Dash Snow, Rammellzee, Terry Richardson photos from his punk rock teens, Raymond Pettibone, Thrasher Magazine, Estivan Oriel, motorcycle gangs, Banksy, Fairy, McGhee, Os Gemeos...ugh, too many to name.  It's fucking U N B E L I E V A B L E!  Seriously.  I'm having a hard time comprehending it all.

We are being mind-fucked to death so hard that we are coming back to life...

Here's a few thirty some photos so far, but this won't be the last you'll see of Art In The Streets on HDD...

Art In The Streets, Geffen Contemporary at MOCA, LA, CA, 7/9/11