Graffiti throw up doodles/Happy New Year animation

I have been working on these little graffiti doodles the past couple of months, just while I was travelling or even chatting on the phone...eventually they started to turn into something approaching an animation. figured it would be good to share them and wish everybody all the best for 2011.
The doodles are celebrating my last 6 months or so, since my kids were born.
Hope you like it.

If you've been following this blog, you will recognise the beat...it will be featuring on my mixtape, out early 2011.
called 'Inheritance Wax'.

AIGHT...
Have a happy, healthy and funky 2011 people.
lot of lovin!

Ashwan

Parc Ciudadella

mayne, Barcelona is cool for the fact that you are always passing by something interesting going on.
cycling through Parc Ciutadella on Boxing Day, 2010 and I passed these cats warming up.
had a real nice vibe to what they wee doing...I just filmed a bit of it as I only had my phone with me and the quality is not that great....does not do these guys justice at all.

anyways, cool people too...so shouts to Hector 'Hope' (B Boy), Ludovico Hombravella and Ivan Bouchain (Tap) and the man 'Coco' from Paris rockin tha box!

HOT ISH on a cool December day in Barcelona.

Peace.
ASHWAN

Featured Artwork...

Digging in the crates these days with work from back in the dizzle...
okay okay player, this one is not so far back...it came out of a body of work made about 3 or 4 years ago now.
This one never even saw the gallery walls. It was snapped up while still in the studio by an emcee from Chicago who also appreciated the influence that the common track i used to love H.E.R. which is the original influence for this particular piece.
IF you do not know the common track, it is probably too late for you. but so you don't feel left out, HERE IT IS:



INSANELY DOPE!
I also just peeped a cool live version and next time Comm passes thru your town, you NEED to go see this guy. One of my all time gigs was his album release party for his third album, at the House of Blues in Chicago. It was hosted by De La Soul and just about everyone on the album was there...Lauryn Hill blew the place apart, CanIbus, CeeLo...way too many to mention. It ended with a big hip hop karaoke of legendary emcees spittin other legendary artists tracks, just for the pure love of it.
Since then I have caught him 5 or 6 times at other places, sometimes with a full band, other times just a small get up...ALWAYS amazing tho. dude works HARD.
anyways back to the point.
Below is my homage to the track itself, but also to the sentiment, so to the good people of hip hop. those who do it for the love.

I used to love H.E.R. by Ashwan.
4ftx4ft oil and mixed media on canvas.
private collection Chicago, USA.

you can catch the others from this series on my web page:
www.ashwan.co.uk

custom kix- past work resurfaced!

HAPPY TOGETHER (DWYCK)

was just listening to Main Source this morning and it reminded me how similar the main vocal hook is to the hook from the Turtles 'Happy Together' track.
This Turtles tune is one of the ones I have 'inherited' from an old folks crib in Liverpool and am currently using as the palate for my new mix tape...INHERITANCE WAX.
here is the Turtles original version:



you can get a sneak preview of my version here:

the Inheritance Wax mixtape will be out early 2011.

visit my web page:

www.ashwan.co.uk for updates or to register on the mailing list.

the original vinyl will also be available with 'remixed' individually painted cover art, see examples below:

Random Painting of the day...

ASHWAN: Hip Hop is Dead.
oil and mixed media on card board
2010

Q tip and Phife Dawg spitting to Boney M!

OH SNAP!!! Q tip and Phife spit over Boney M on this version of 1nce Again that is gonna feature of the January 2011 release 'Inheritance Wax'...get on it!
check the web page nearer the time for updates.
www.ashwan.co.uk

Warhol Foundation's message to the Smithsonian...

December 13, 2010
WARHOL FOUNDATION DEMANDS REINSTATEMENT OF CENSORED ART WORK OR WILL CEASE FUNDING ALL SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION EXHIBITIONS

The following letter was sent today by The Andy Warhol Foundation to Wayne Clough, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution:

December 13, 2010
Mr. Wayne Clough
Smithsonian Institution
SIB Office of the Secretary
MRC 016
PO Box 37012
Washington, D.C. 20013-7012
Dear Mr. Clough,
The Warhol Foundation is proud to have been a lead supporter of Hide/Seek: Difference and Desire in American Portraiture, but we strongly condemn the decision to remove David Wojnarowicz’s video A Fire in My Belly from the exhibition. Such blatant censorship is unconscionable. It is inimical to everything the Smithsonian Institution should stand for, and everything the Andy Warhol Foundation does stand for.
Although we have enjoyed our growing relationship during the past three years, and have given more than $375,000 to fund several exhibitions at various Smithsonian institutions, we cannot stand by and watch the Smithsonian bow to the demands of bigots who have attacked the exhibition out of ignorance, hatred and fear.
Last week the Foundation published a statement on its website www.warholfoundation.org, condemning the National Portrait Gallery’s removal of the work and on Friday our Board of Directors met to discuss the long-term implications of the Museum’s behavior on the Foundation’s relationship with the Smithsonian Institution. After careful consideration, the Board voted unanimously to demand that you restore the censored work immediately, or the Warhol Foundation will cease funding future exhibitions at all Smithsonian institutions.
I regret that you have put us in this position, but there is no other course we can take. For the arts to flourish the arts must be free, and the decision to censor this important work is in stark opposition to our mission to defend freedom of expression wherever and whenever it is under attack.
Sincerely yours,
Joel Wachs
President
cc: Ms. Patricia Stonesifer, Smithsonian Chairwoman of the Board
Directors of Smithsonian Institution museums
Board Chairs of Smithsonian Institution museums

Oh Erykah...

B Girl, you rock my world.

FAT LACES

after digging out the old FAT CAPS images recently, it got me to thinking I should post some of my other old work.
some of the photo's of this stuff are awful...done with my phone or whatever...no tripod or lights.

Most people who know me, know I like my adi dassler kicks... this series were started around 1997. I would go back to painting a pair every so often though...so maybe as recently as 95 was the last time I painted a pair. I love abstraction, but every now and then it's good to go back to doing something a bit more 'traditional'. don't most painters feel a drive to do this at times? seriously, it's a question...I dunno!

OH, btw...some of the new work I am making right now, is DAMN HOT! ...and small (framed, 25x25cm)!!!! IF you feel like you got a knot in your pocket and short of Christmas ideas, hit me up and I'll get some photo's made of them. otherwise it will be the new year now before I get my photographer to document the new pieces.as for the adidas kicks series, bad news, they ALL GONE!

AIIGHT!

peace.
ashwan

electro street sounds stylee

some newish work...based on the classic 80's ELECTRO series.
MAYNE, I LOVED that ish! ROXANNE v's UTFO...HERBIE HANCOCK and DST on Rock It!!!!
DAYUM.
blew my mind back then.

HOLIDAY SALE- BOPZINK

YO!!!!!
the Holiday sale is ON over at BOPZINK...
these prices are insane for some seriously dope t's. great gift ideas or just to stock up for the coming spring, which aint so far off now, tho it probably feels closer to here in Barcelona than it does for most of you cats.

anyways, go jump all over this one...the T above is on sale for just 10 bucks! seriously, tell me something better that you could buy for 10 bucks????

you know it makes sense!
these t's will not be around at this price forever, so go do it!
(yeah, i know I am pushing this HARD, but these guys are mates of mine, they have just gotten this business off the ground and are looking to do a new run of T's soon, so get out there and show some love...PLUS, you cannot deny the T's are super fly! 10 bucks peeps! you couldn't buy a pint of guiness on Las Ramblas for that!)

FAT CAPS

Here are some images from work that I made back in 1999.
4 of them were used in a two person show at a tiny space called Dogmatic down in Chicago's South Side. a few months later I had a solo show, also in Chicago at a place called Beacon Street Gallery, which I called FAT CAPS...all six of these featured there.
They measure 4ftx4ft (122cm) and are oil on canvas.
I had been working mainly on installation work previous to this and I think the curators who had asked me to show at Dogmatic were shocked when I turned up with paintings.
4 of them went to private collections and I kept 2 of them for myself...I still have them both, though just in storage in the UK at the moment. I need to dig them out soon.
This was the last work I made in Chicago.

Happy days...I miss that city sometimes...and definitely the people.
I need to get back there soon.


AIIIIGHT!

ashwan

STENCIL EXCLUSIVE

recently made a couple of versions of this stencil just for sale through the internet. This is the same stencil as the 'street' version that has appeared in a few different web pages and blogs, including the 'All City' app page. They are framed behind glass and measure 42x52cm in total.
If you are interested in picking one of these up, they are available for 250 Euro's + postage and packing. Hit me up:
ashwan@ashwan.co.uk

American Art during the Cold War

AMERICAN Abstract Expressionism, supported by the CIA.

Sorry Ms Jackson...

PLAYER!!!!




I'm sorry Ms Jackson, but I had to do this remix with you and Billy Vaughn for my new Inheritance Wax mixtape. I have uploaded a couple of sneak previews here. They will NOT be staying up, so not always available, if you're feeling the individual tracks, download them now while you have chance.
If the player above does not load properly, click HERE to go to the link.

I just tried to find the sample on youtube....it is a cut called 'after hours', by Billy Vaughn, but NO WHERE to be found...i did find the b side cut called 'it's no sin' which I am using with Big L's Put It On accapella on top. I may post that later. if you want to hear the original it is here.
peace

ashwan

RUNaWAY KaNYE

CROOKLYN

(if the player above doesn't load properly, please click the link HERE)

this is one of the remixes/mashups that will be on the upcoming Inheritance Wax mixtape. it is the classic Crooklyn Dodgers accapella over a pretty awful cut by a group called 'The Springfields'. I am forcing myself to pull the samples from a record collection I 'inherited' from an old folks home in Liverpool.
you can hear the original sample around the 2.30 mark on this youtube playlist of their stuff.


The final mixtape will pull a bunch of the remixes together and I will also be working on visual elements to go with it...part of this is the re-packaging of the vinyl themselves. I want to try and put some kind of attention back on the physical presence of music that we have lost since everything has gone the way of the mp3 player. more on this later.
until then...
Enjoy.
ashwan

boom box collector

you know I can't live, without my radio!

click the link to hear about Junichi Matsuzaki, Japans answer to Radio Raheem.

pocoyo

since the kids came along, it has been a total change of pace in the crib. good thing is tho, we have discovered Pocoyo.
in the words of my man 'Curious', this kid is hipper than Hopper.

peace.
ash

astronomical phenomena

some damn fine flix of astronomical phenomena on the Guardian's page today.
check out more here.
the image above is entitled 'Siberian Totality', capturing a total eclipse by Anthony Ayiomamitis.
such a simple, but beautiful image.

on a vaguely related note, here's Mr 'Ladies Love':



ash

James Lavelle exhibition

ART N MUSIC TOGETHER????? WHAT A CONCEPT!

James Lavelle of Talking loud/Mo Wax fame has curated a show of art and music. looks interesting.
go peep more at the link above.
James, you need to be getting yourself an ashwan for your collection!


what about this one?

ashwan

seriously old school ny subway footage

really nice old footage of a journey across the brooklyn bridge.
enjoy
ashwan

iphone dopeness

PEZ


Os Gemenos


ASHWAN


OBEY


OBEY

MAYNE, I hate to admit it, but I love my iphone. it keeps giving me new things to amuse and inform me.
I just picked up this app for it called 'All City'. This is not the same 'All City' that used to be a dope hip hop store in Uptown Chicago (nod to Trust Love), but is an app that let's you upload photo's of graff that you spot, THEN, (check this) it also locates where the graff is with links to google maps to spot the exact location.
DOPE!
it even has an ASHWAN stencil on there.
you can search by artist, or by most recent uploads OR you can click on the 'find nearest' button and it will search any graff in your local area.
DAYUM!

you can peep a bit more about it HERE, but in reality, you need to use this thing to see how sweet it is.

you got an iphone? go get this app, for sure.

ashwan

old skool clip

crazy dutch film from back in 1983...got some footage of Roxanne Shante in there. super fly!
enjoy.
ashwan

TECHNOLOGY...tables turned.

Multi Touch Light Table: GERGWERK from GERG WERK on Vimeo.

peace,
ashwan

the world needs to see this...raw, uncut FUN(k)

DJ FRESH...GOLD DUST

enjoy
ashwan

candy M's inside my tummy

www.ashwan.co.uk

Stencils in BCN

crazy busy with a whole heap of stuff right now, so not really getting chance to post much these days. so here are a bunch of stencils spotted around Barcelona over the last few months for your visual pleasure. I don't go graff hunting, so some of the images are really bad quality with light and stuff, just when I see something interesting...
I will try and get around to crediting these images when I have some time. a few I am not sure who did them...I know the nice three tone stencils, like the last one of Amelia Earhart are by BToy.
feel free to comment and add credits.
easy!
ashwan

Elephant Parade update....

The elephant parade in London seems to be going really well so far. It is getting a lot of press and the feedback on all the elephants has been really positive.
The bidding process has started online already and they will be auctioned off finally by Sotherbys on July 3rd.
so far, 'In Your Trunk' has had a bid of 2,350 UKL, which is a really good amount towards an excellent cause, and hopefully will get more bids on the big day.

Obviously this is a chunk of cash that your man in the street could generally not justify spending on a sculpture of an elephant that they probably do not have enough space for anyways...so the good news is that there are other ways to contribute.
a book, poster, smaller versions of the elephants and now you can buy T shirts too.
If you wanna pick up an 'In Your Trunk (turn the bass up)' T, click on the appropriate link below:

MENS T SHIRT


WOMENS T SHIRT

KIDS T SHIRT




would be cool to see someone rockin' a dope T while supporting a good cause.

One love,
Ashwan

(UPDATE: 'In Your Trunk' sold for a final amount of £10,000, with the London Elephant Parade raising over £4 MILLION to help save the Indian Elephant!!! Amazing, and glad to have been a part of it.)

BRANDNUTOPIA- Ashwan and CalendarGirl

came across this cut again today. it is something I worked on with CalendarGirl a while back for a project that never came off...disappointing as I liked the tune. CalendarGirl is a really interesting artist and has a great voice. check out her opensource project where she recorded a new song every month for one year for artists to remix however they liked by clicking HERE. at the end of the year she produced a cd of her favourite mixes.
It was a great idea and a good project...one I think she should have gotten more props for, but this is life with art these days!

anyways, hope you enjoy the cut.
ashwan

RAMSEY JUDSON

homie Ramsey Judson, from Chitown rockin things on this new video.
Ramsey always sets the bar high for people around him to try and keep up. kid got skills in every department: sings, raps and produces.
in fact, check out his album from a coupla years back called 'A Day In The Life Of...'
He did EVERYTHING on it and it is DOPE.
you can pick it up at CD BABY here.

Ashwan

BARCELONA SKATEZ

so if you been peeping any of these posts, you'll know I have painted some boards recently. I been chatting with my man Ollie Kingston about working with one of them to funk up my web page. I feel like it's a bit dry and doesn't fully represent the energy and flavour of the paintings, so wanted to introduce a bit more dynamic.
we were talkin about poppin some tricks on one of the boards, just really quick as an intro to the web page. this little video was our first attempt at the idea. this is a version that could never be used as it is way too long, and doesn't really feature the board so well, but I kinda like it anyways.
Filmed at Barcelona's Arc De Triomf...beautiful day in a beautiful city. full of pick pockets tho, so watch yo sh1t!