The influences of creative practices initially rejected as 'art' are as widely felt today as they have ever been. Historically, community based creative practices that were not considered art, have come to haunt our history books (Dada, Surrealism, Pop, as a few examples) and earn spaces in our museums.
Today, there is no denying either the influence of what is no known as 'Street Art' on contemporary visual culture and communications or the importance of this gesture. While this influence can be felt in areas of art such as character design, illustration, painting or moving arts, it is also recognizable in marketing campaigns, product designs and mass media graphical interfaces. The gesture of urban art (be it commissioned, as was a favorite work for Keith Haring, or illicit in the fashion of an artist like Banksy) is the gesture of the gift and the act is as relevant as the aesthetic.
The 'Urban Art Phenomenon' opens up many interesting debates, but two things are certain: The aesthetics of this outsider art draws a direct emotional response from viewers. There is a greater need then every for aesthetic narratives in our public spaces and visual lives.
The main concepts of this project are:
Use art as a catalyst for community building, understanding diversity while stimulating interest in investigating contemporary aesthetics and visual life.
Employ art as an example of peer to peer / shareware culture.
Revive a tradition of Public Art with relevant social aesthetics.
Allocate public spaces for art for the enjoyment of the citizens.
Extract form a text of Harlan Levey, No New Enemies network.
The MIKOSA murals in Amsterdam
This project is designed to provide the city of Amsterdam (and afterward other European cities) with a number of urban artworks in public spaces. Mikosa and ReKult are working to secure a number of locations in city of Amsterdam and around Europe. Among those, the first urban art interventions in public spaces took place in the week form the 23rd to the 29th of June 2008 in Baarsjeweg, Amsterdam.
The project threw the glance to this spot thanks to the participation of several well know (international) artists. It is the aim of the project partners to bring this project to other European cities in order to build up a pan-European urban art in public spaces network to be toured.
