This begs the question, is it possible for an artist who hides his identity to make a film about himself without his actually appearing? “Exit Through The Gift Shop”, might answer those questions. Banksy made himself known (in the way he does) in Park City, Utah during the Sundance Film Festival, by showing his work on storefronts and walls. He called a tantalizing news conference at the International Film Festival in Berlin, only to play a videotape in which he appeared cloaked and hidden. Was the image in the video Banksy? Did he create the video?

The questions that arise about his identity are similar to those we must answer when we interact on the internet. Does identity reside in the corporeal being, or in the substance that being creates? Banksy and Adams (profiled earlier on Fabwick), raise these questions.

When it comes to the work, there are more answers than questions. The work, under any heading, is beautiful. It is up to the receiver of the art to live with the contradiction of such beauty being displayed in gritty urban environs. It is also up to the receiver to accept and enjoy the art without knowing (visually) who created it.

Our City Dreams is a documentary (came out last year) about five women artists inspired by New York City. Swoon is one of the women in the film and an urban artist we’ve featured in Fabwick. (She recently showed at Urban Art Info in Berlin). One of the media she works in is wheat-paste plasterings of realistic images of street-people. She plasters these images all over New York. She has at once been called a street artist and a very influential “inside” artist. We’d love for everyone to see this film in order to visit the inside world of women in the arts and experience their struggles and triumphs.

This image taken by one of our contributing fashion editors, Preston Wood. We think this is by Swoon – we don’t know for sure – what do you think?

Wherever you are in the world, may we suggest that you’ll take a walk in your city this weekend, with a camera, down a few streets, past construction sites, or take a walk in a park. You’re going to be surprised what you discover once you decide to start giving the surroundings more attention. You might not see any graffiti or a paper cut-out by Swoon, but you might see a fire hydrant with tiny metallic polka dots on it, a sticker on a yield sign that asks you a question, or a pink moon sprayed in a corner of the sidewalk. Whatever you notice, take a picture of it and send it to us – we will post it in our coming Sunday Weekly section, ‘’Love Urban Art’’.

Please email us: info@fabwick.com

NOT

He grew up in the shadow of the wall (in the West). As a teenager, he was inspired by the art that was expressed on the wall and started to photograph it. His book Urban Art Photography captures some of his perspective and vision, but there’s so much more. For the last 20 years he’s walked the streets of Berlin and photographed what has inspired him. He still uses film to capture these images. He then marks his photographs by hand-numbering them. He said he is running a bit behind. He has about 35,000 more photographs to go through and mark.

Urban Art Info - Berlin, Mitte

Fabwick, AR.Parker (F)
Jurgen Grosse (J)

This interview/visit was translated by Manuela Mangold

F: Why do you document other artists?
J: I started to photograph the graffiti on the wall because I was interested in this art form – it was illegal, but fascinating.

F: Who’s your favorite artist?
J: This is a difficult question, but Keith Haring was an influence in the early days.

F: Do you not collect “indoor art”?
J: Yes I do. I have a lot, but now I put all my money into the Urban Art Studio.

F: I have a feeling that you support intensely creative artists who are also productive– who execute their ideas well, like Adams. Do you work with artists from Tacheles? Or is it a place of pretentious artists playing at art?
J: First when the wall came down I spent a lot of time at Tacheles, but later lost interest when I saw a decline. I had friends there who were creative, but the people I work with now, that come out of the graffiti scene and work on Brunnestrasse are intensely creative, and are fully aware that they don’t need drugs to be creative.

F: What art pieces of yours would you save in an emergency?
J: All. But I can’t save all, so I’d save all my negatives.

F: Now when the Adams auf Slussen exhibition is over, what’s next?
J: Swoon from New York – Starting Friday Sept 26th

Swoon coming to Urban Art Info