Best of CH 2009: Top Five Street Art Shows
by Ariston Anderson
This year saw a fresh wave of art in the streets with more than one homecoming and some clever new approaches.
Steve Powers: Philadelphia Love Letter
Seizing on the power of extremely personal art, Steve Powers swathed his native Philadelphia in his typography-based murals. A 50-work strong love letter spread across the entire city of brotherly love, the project enlivened the urban environment and introduced a new generation to the joy of typography and sign painting.
Banksy Versus Bristol Museum
Returning to the city he grew up bombing, Bristol put their hometown hero Bansky on a pedastal. The resulting exhibit wowed us in both size and scope, but kept it subversive with site-specific installations.
Os Gemeos: Vertigo
Speaking of a return to roots, prolific brother team Os Gemeos came back to Rio de Janeiro for a long overdue solo show in November, enlivening the Museu de Arte Brasileira with popping colors and shapes. Bringing their world-traveled style back to their own city revealed just how far the twins have come.
Zevs: Hong Kong Liquidated Logos
Controversy follows this French artist wherever he goes, and Zevs' recent visit to Hong Kong was no exception. He left a court case and a beautiful series of wet, dripping couture logos in his tracks.
Papergirl
Papergirl set out to democratize the art world and rejuvenate the street art scene by distributing free art to unlikely suspects in Berlin. Her followers around the world caught on, and armies of papergirls began to pop up everywhere.
