October 1 to 3: STREET Art Fair International Launches in Los Angeles : Cartwheel Art

October 1 to 3: STREET Art Fair International Launches in Los Angeles

There’s a new fair in town, and it’s cementing Los Angeles’s reputation as an international art destination! The inaugural edition of Street Art Fair International, STREET, launches here in LA with world renown artists like Alec Monopoly, Mr. Brainwash, Big Sleeps, Risk, Odlaw, Desire Obtain Cherish, and Annie Preece–and Cartwheel Art is a part of it!

We are presenting “Primality Test” a solo show from Prime, who is considered one of the most influential artists in the history of Los Angeles public wall writing. Prime is known for his hand styles, developed as part of the seminal LA graffiti crew K2S (Kill to Succeed), which included Defer, Slick, Cab, Juan Carlo Munoz Hernandez and Big Sleeps. In 1989 Prime survived a gang-related shooting; he lost full movement in his right hand, and trained himself to write with his left hand, which is how he paints today. Prime’s work has had a major impact on the graffiti community and is widely recognized for having influenced many writers and crews in L.A. His lettering was used in the film Colors, and he has often collaborated with Gajin Fujita; Prime’s tags and throw ups are visible in many of Gajin’s paintings.

Curated by Rodrigo Ribera d’Ebre and Lisa Derrick and presented by Cartwheel Art, “Primality Test” cements Prime as a founding father of Los Angeles stylized graffiti lettering, a hybrid of Cholo lettering and East Coast style graffiti that is often bold, aggressive, and monochromatic. Complex Magazine included Prime on their “25 greatest L.A. graffiti writers” list, and Vibe Magazine’s “History of Hip Hop” also acknowledges Prime’s vital contributions to L.A.’s distinctive graffiti style.

A Dark Progressivism artist, Prime is one of the subjects of the soon-to-be-released documentary, Dark Progressivism, written and directed by d’Ebre and associate produced by Derrick. Cartwheel Art is one of the film’s sponsors.

Cartwheel Art Tours will be giving out maps of the DTLA Arts District murals and other spots of interest, so be sure to visit “Primality Test”–we’re in booth B2, next to Prime’s fellow Dark Progressive artist Big Sleeps.We will also be hosting book signings on Saturday with Rodrigo Ribera d’Ebre at noon and Steve Grody, historian and author of Graffiti LA at 1:30pm.

At STREET, the massive exhibition will celebrate graffiti and street art’s global movement. And LA is perfect place. The city has always had a intense graffiti scene–from the early days of placaos and Chaz Bojórquez’s “Señor Suerte,” considered to be the first use of stencil in graffiti through the clandestine and now-legal murals that cover Downtown. Our freeways and the riverbed provide canvases, and our galleries and museums provide support, encouragement and inspiration.

STREET runs from October 1st through October 3rd at 1050 North Orange Drive, Los Angeles CA. Tickets are $25 a day, $65 for run of show, but we have some to give away. Email contact@cartwheelart.com and let us know what day you’d like to come: Thursday, noon to 6pm; Friday, 11am to 7pm; and Saturday 11pm to 4pm.

Attracting leading collectors, curators, influencers and critics from across the globe, the three-day event is the first in a series of fairs that will travel internationally, popping up in major cities where the street art movement is alive.

International Street Art Fair: STREET
Siren Studios
1050 N. Orange Dr.
Los Angeles, 90038
October 1 through 3
Thursday, noon to 6pm; Friday, 11am to 7pm; and Saturday 11pm to 4pm.

For tickets: contact@cartwheelart.com