Joshua Allen Harris

Before subway

Anyone who has walked in New York City or any city that has a subway system, is obviously familiar with the subway grates that line the sidewalks. Girls avoid stepping on them when wearing heels and skirts while everyone else doesn't give them a second thought and just walks over them. That is until Joshua Harris came up with the idea of inflatable street art. Harris has taken garbage bags and turned them into something enjoyable for New York commuters.

Subway's here!

He starts by cutting the plastic bags then glues them together into whatever shape he plans on executing. He leaves the bottoms open and then ties them to the grates. When not inflated, people think the bags are simply garbage lying on the grates but the moment a subway passes underneath, art appears. The air coming up from the subway inflates the plastic bags and Harris' creatures are revealed. The most famous being his polar bear.
Not only is Harris creating an enjoyable and refreshing piece of art in an unexpected place but he is also helping the environment. The materials Harris uses are those he finds littered in the streets, such as garbage bags and plastic grocery bags.
The last installation that was seen from Harris was back in 2009 but people eagerly await for his return and the new animals he has in store for the streets of New York City.

Mark Jenkins

Giraffe; 2003

Just tape. Well packaging tape. That's all it takes for Jenkins to create his infamous street installations that can be found in Rio De Janeiro, New York, and Washington D.C. Jenkins made a name for himself in 2003 when he created his first piece of artwork; the tapemen. These pieces look like regular people clothed and sitting or standing throughout the city but made out of tape. Most passers-by think nothing of the "people" cloaked in sweat shirts and pants until they see a piece that is missing a head, then they realize that it is art. Most of his work consists of fake "living" statues and "sleeping" mannequins. He is often referred to as the prankster of art because half the time, viewers don't know whether the art is real or fake. When asked what each piece is to represent Jenkins replies, " each piece is an exploration of evolution within the realm of the absurd".

Born in 1970 and raised in Fairfax, Virginia, Jenkins has made it a point to travel to countries world wide sharing his unique type of art. He even offers classes and workshops to the cities he visits. Jenkins artwork can be found lying on top of billboards, street corners, or floating in the water and never cease to amaze and surprise the crowds.

Eric Grohe: Real life?

Eric Grohe was born in New York City in 1944 and soon moved out to the West Coast where you can find most of his artwork. Grohe has made a name for himself by creating murals on the side of buildings that are so realistic that people actually have to go up to the buildings and touch the brick to know that it's not real. Similar to Julian Beever, (posted earlier) Grohe creates a "trompe d'oeil" affect that fools the viewer that what they are seeing is real.
     He creates murals that transform the community and environment, often taking drab places and giving them his special effect. It is said that his artwork takes months to complete so the community gets to see the process and the building goes from bland to a masterpiece. He makes sure to use a special type of German paint, Kiem Mineral Paint so his work won't fade away. He is one of the few muralists in the country who is able to use this unique type of paint.
     You can find his work through out the country but is generally located on the West Coast with a few murals in the Midwest and East Coast. The closest mural to Hofstra would be his mural at Niagra Falls. Grohe is probably one of the few artist who have very few negative critics against him because what he is doing isn't considered "vandalism " to many people because in most cases, he is making it a better place.

Jeff Koons: Art on the larger scale

     Jeff Koons is most widely known for his exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago in the summer of 2008. The exhibition showed Koon's latest work which consisted of larger than life, everyday objects transformed into art. His most famous  pieces of art includes one of those balloon dogs that a clown would make for you at your friends birthday party and a handful of tulips; all of course enlarged. Almost all of his creations is made out of stainless steel and then coated with a mirror finish to give it the "balloon effect". It is said to be almost indistinguishable between his artwork and real balloon, other than the size difference. He makes the creases where you would tie the not and shines the part where the light would hit it giving it a realistic feel.
     While Koon holds the title of having the most expensive piece of artwork ever purchased at an auction($23. 6 million from the Gagosian Gallery in New York), many critics frown upon his art work and call him a joke. They believe that his idea of art is childish and foolish. Some say that just because he has embellished items such as a balloon dog doesn't qualify it as art because he is simply recreating something. Critics say that Koon isn't all the original and that his art work is insulting to "true" artists.
    Check to see more of Koon's work: http://www.jeffkoons.com/

Chalk Drawings with Julian Beever

     We have all played with chalk as kids on the driveway outside of our house. We'd outline our friends bodies or just draw shapes. By the time our "artwork" was completed our hands and knees would be covered in chalk from crawling around on the ground. However our idea of chalk art is pretty pathetic compared to Julian Beever's.
     Beever is an American artist specializing in chalk drawings as well as murals and paintings. His has been creating "trompe-l'oeil" paintings since the years 90's. Trompe-l'oeil is French for "deceiving the eye" which is exactly what Beever's drawings do. In order to see his masterpieces you have to be standing at the correct angle to get the image perfectly or else it just looks distorted chalk drawings. When you do get to the exact position what you see is almost hard to believe. The images he create suddenly turn 3D and look incredibly realistic.
     People have nicknamed the 46 year old as the " Pavement Picasso" due to the originality of his work. His artwork ranges from a Coca Cola bottle to "The Fountain of Youth". Why does he stick to the outside world rather than a studio or art gallery where he knows it won't get ruined by the weather? Beever says that his " art is for anybody" and that it's for the people who wouldn't go into an art gallery. He wants as many people to see it so he creates his work on busy sidewalks or side-streets. Although he knows his artwork will only have a short life span, he likes it that way because then those who do have the opportunity to see it have truly seen something special

Check out this website to see more of his creations: http://hubpages.com/hub/Incredible_Beever

Blek Le Rat

     So who was the founder of street art? None other than Blek Le Rat. His real name is Xavier Prou and was born in 1952 in Paris. Blek is known to be the "Godfather" of urban art starting to put his art in Europe, especially Paris, in the early 80's. He began to just do stencils of rats on the side of buildings, hence his name, claiming that rats were the only free animals and because in "rat" you can find "art". He was inspired by the graffiti he saw in New York City but since Paris and NYC are such different atmospheres, he knew he couldn't just copy the graffiti because it wouldn't reflect the surroundings of his home land.
    He is an inspiration to all street artist but especially Banksy. They have even thought about collaborating their artwork but little is known about their plans. The difference between Banksy and Blek is that Banksy's artwork is painted or made directly on the side of a building while over the years Blek has moved from using the actual buildings as his canvas and has resorted to  making posters. However, Blek depends on what is written on the walls as inspiration for his next piece of artwork. After all, artwork must reflect the state of a city for people to relate to it.
    Blek le Rat will contunue to make himself known as the original stencil pioneer but he is always interested and inspired by other artists and by what he sees on the streets. His art will be forever changing but we can note that he was the first to step out of the realm of "traditional" art and create a new type of urban art.

    

Banksy

     We've all been on them as children while our parents are taking forever in the line at the supermarket. We beg our parents for 25 cents and head outside where the few games and cheap rides are located. However, the above isn't the typical kiddie ride which we are used to riding, you know the red helicopter or pony. This is Banksy's latest work inspired by the BP oil spill that occurred last April. The dolphin is wrapped in a tuna net and crude oil with the "BP"  logo clearly stamped on the oil barrel. Located at Brighton Pier in England, this piece of artwork is still used as an amusement park ride for many children and visitors.
     Not familiar with the artist? Banksy is infamously known for his street art that started off in Bristol, England in the early 90's, ranging from graffiti to stencils. Most of his early art has been covered up or destroyed due to communities declaring his artwork as vandalism, but Banksy's art work is becoming more prevalent and renowned through out the states.
You would think that an artist that is so famous would want to be known. However, he has stayed anonymous for the past 20 years and very few people know who Banksy truly is. This past January at the Sundance FIlm Festival in Utah, Bansky was a prominent character in  Exit Through the Gift Shop, a documentary dealing with Thierry Guetta's interest in street art. Bansky is present throughout the whole film and is even interviewed but his voice is distorted and his face is hidden to keep his identity unknown.
     Still, known or uknown, Bansky is still able to captivate passer-bys with his art adorning sides of buildings and the ground while expressing his opinion in a witty manner.
Check out his website to see if you can recognize some of his art: http://www.banksy.co.uk/