Urban Nation

WALL\THERAPY wraps up BELIEVE/BECOME with Urban Nation Berlin

WALL\THERAPY wraps up BELIEVE/BECOME with Urban Nation Berlin

It’s a wrap! In just six days the WALL\THERAPY crew laid down six human-scale murals and an immersive indoor installation as part of our Unite & Ignite international exchange with Urban Nation Berlin. The exhibition opened on Saturday, April 16 and runs until May 9.

Click on any of the images to open a larger version in a new window.

Final Murals 

Sarah C. Rutherford and Mr. Prvrt

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Cern

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Shawnee Hill

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Faring Purth

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Brittany Williams

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LNY

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Photos by Mark Deff (@markdeffphoto).

Indoor Installation

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Sarah C. Rutherford

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Faring Purth, Shawnee Hill, Brittany Williams

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Shawnee Hill

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Brittany Williams

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St. Monci

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LNY

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Cern

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Mr. PrvrtINSTALL_MRPRV_IMG_9978

Sarah C. Rutherford

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Cern, LNY, Faring Purth

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Work from the Believe/Become exhibit will be available for U.S. buyers in a few days. Those interested in purchasing work should contact sales@wall-therapy.com.

Photos above by Erich Lehman.

Believe/Become Opening 

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Photos above by Nika Kramer.

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Photos above by Mark Deff (@markdeffphoto).

The WALL\THERAPY team is sincerely grateful for the support we receive, without which it would be impossible to deliver inspirational mural art throughout Rochester, and now, abroad.

Thanks to our partner, URBAN NATION and Yasha Young for providing the space and opportunity to collaborate and create the Believe/Become concept and exhibit. WALL\THERAPY is incredibly grateful to have been able to work alongside new friends among the Urban Nation team including Elisabetta, Alejandra, Imed, Anna, Dennis and Roland–without your guidance and assistance, the successful execution of this project would not have been possible!

Big thanks go to photographers Olaf Heine and Nika Kramer for capturing the spirit of our artists and staff interactions.

It was great to see some WALL\THERAPY alumni, including Addison Karl, David Walker, Above, Onur Dinc and all the other new friends we made throughout the week. Special thanks go to Addison Karl for his wonderful hospitality–from providing delicious home-cooked meals and acting as a guide for the city–you made us feel right at home in Berlin.

To our contributing artists, who have honored us with their inventive and inspiring creations, whose belief in the healing power of art is reflected in their dedication to the work and kind regard for community members and staff, we thank you.

To our Believe/Become staff and photographer, who took time from their jobs to travel to Berlin in support of our project, you are the heart and soul of WALL\THERAPY.

Please visit our Facebook page to see even more galleries of this year’s event!

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WALL\THERAPY in the final days of prep for BELIEVE/BECOME opening at Urban Nation Berlin

WALL\THERAPY in the final days of prep for BELIEVE/BECOME opening at Urban Nation Berlin

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As the week flies by, the WALL\THERAPY crew keeps pushing toward completion of our exhibit at Urban Nation Berlin, with the opening tomorrow, Saturday, April 16.

BELIEVE/BECOME draws a line between the first WALL\THERAPY project’s theme of “Believe”–the belief in the power of art and individual expression to serve as a catalyst for inspiration in the communities in which we work–and the progress over the last five years toward realization of our goals: If you believe it, you become it. With “Become,” WALL\THERAPY brings to light issues close to the artists, from those with global impact to those affecting their own local communities.

Murals at Urban Nation

During the first part of the week, the crew was focused on laying down six human-scale murals on walls outside of the UN Production Offices.

Sarah C. Rutherford & Mr. Prvrt

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Cern

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Shawnee Hill

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Maria, Faring Purth

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Brittany Williams

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Neo Colonialism/Decolonización, LNY

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While most of our time in Berlin has been spent making the BELIEVE/BECOME exhibit a true representation of the spirit of WALL\THERAPY, the crew has gotten to enjoy some down time, too. A group dinner in the Kruezberg neighborhood at Kimchi Princess, courtesy of Urban Nation, a home-cooked meal with past WALL\THERAPY artist Addison Karl and a group outing to the nearby Bauhaus Archive all helped keep the group grounded and relaxed, and gave us a taste of local life in our home for the week.

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As the opening draws closer, we turn our attention indoors. Sarah Rutherford and St. Monci are both creating installations, all of the artists will exhibit studio work, and some special surprises are also in the works.

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Keep up to date on the BELIEVE/BECOME exhibit by visiting this site and following the WALL\THERAPY social media channels:

Search hashtag #believebecome
Facebook: facebook.com/walltherapyny
Instagram: @walltherapyny
Twitter: @walltherapyny

Snapchat: @walltherapyny

Learn more about Urban Nation by visiting their site or following them on their social media channels:

Online: www.urban-nation.net
Facebook: facebook.com/urbannationberlin
Instagram: @urbannationberlin

 

All photos by Mark Deff (@markdeffphoto).

WALL\THERAPY’s Believe/Become exhibit starts to take shape…Artist Talk with Urban Nation tonight!

WALL\THERAPY’s Believe/Become exhibit starts to take shape…Artist Talk with Urban Nation tonight!

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WALL\THERAPY artists and staff have arrived in Berlin! The crew spent its first 24 hours exploring neighborhoods, checking out murals and catching up with local alumni artists and friends Addison Karl and David Walker.

WALL\THERAPY crew at Urban Nation Berlin
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Monday marked the crew’s first day at Urban Nation. The artists quickly oriented to their new home base, grabbed their cans and brushes and headed out to spend the first half of their week on the outdoor portion of the BELIEVE/BECOME exhibit.

Brittany Williams and LNY
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Faring Purth

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Shawnee Hill

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Cern and Mr. Prvrt

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The artists will continue to rock out their murals today. Later tonight, they’ll take part in the WALL\THERAPY x Urban Nation Artist Talk. If you’re in the area, be sure to swing by Urban Nation at 7 p.m. to check it out!

WALL\THERAPY x URBAN NATION Artist Talk
Tuesday, April 12, 7-9pm
Urban Nation Production Office
Bülowstraße 97 // 10738 Berlin-Schöneberg
Join the visiting artists for a conversation about muralism and community, speaking from their experiences with WALL\THERAPY and other localized projects as well as the impact Street Art has had on their home towns and own lives. We’ll also discuss the importance of cultural exchanges, and offer a glimpse into their personal work that will be exhibited at the opening reception this Saturday.
The talk will be lead by Erich Lehman, co-curator of WALL \ THERAPY, introducing these wonderful artists to the Berlin community:

Cern Wonder
Shawnee R M Hill
LNY
MR. PRVRT
Faring Purth
Sarah Rutherford
St. Monci
Brittany Williams
All photos by Mark Deff.

WALL\THERAPY brings a touch of Rochester to Berlin

WALL\THERAPY brings a touch of Rochester to Berlin

This spring, WALL\THERAPY will pack up its cans, brushes and paints and head across the pond to a city that has seen a flowering of street art and graffiti, and echoes the project’s guiding principle of the transformative power of art in our communities.

Following Urban Nation’s guest co-curation of our 2015 festival, WALL\THERAPY will bring the spirit of its five-year project to Berlin, Germany, spending a week creating an indoor/outdoor exhibit with Urban Nation.

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The event, entitled BELIEVE/BECOME, is the 10th edition of Urban Nation’s UNITE & IGNITE International Exchange Program. Named in part for WALL\THERAPY’s very first mural, BELIEVE/BECOME showcases the talents of a subset of WALL\THERAPY muralists, using their work to bring light to issues close to them, from those with global impact to those affecting their own local communities.

For the week of April 10-17, 2016, the artists will immerse themselves in Urban Nation’s Schoeneberg-Berlin neighborhood, starting their visit by working on a series of “human-scale” murals surrounding the Urban Nation offices, offering the artists a chance to interact with the adjacent community. WALL\THERAPY and Urban Nation will host a community discussion on the evening of Tuesday, April 12, examining the role of art in the public sphere as well as the evolving roles of mural festivals and institutions in the Street Art movement. These discussions will then be reflected in the group’s installation within the Urban Nation offices, culminating in an exhibit that will open on Saturday, April 16.

The project will serve as the second half of the international exchange program between Rochester and Berlin, launched in July 2015 in Rochester. Eight artists, who have all participated in past WALL\THERAPY events, have been invited to contribute to the program, curated by Ian Wilson (founder, co-curator) and Erich Lehman (co-curator, lead organizer).

Click on any of the images to open a larger version in a new window.

Artist Roster

Cern (New York, N.Y.)

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Photo provided by Artist

Shawnee Hill (Rochester, N.Y.)

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Photo by Jason Wilder

LNY (Newark, N.J.)

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Mr. Prvrt (Rochester, N.Y.)

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Faring Purth (St. Louis, Mo.)

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Sarah C. Rutherford (Rochester, N.Y.)

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St. Monci (Rochester, N.Y.)

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Brittany Williams (Rochester, N.Y.)

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Community members can get updates and track the artists’ progress by visiting this site and following the WALL\THERAPY social media channels:
Facebook: facebook.com/walltherapyny
Instagram: @walltherapyny
Twitter: @walltherapyny

Learn more about Urban Nation by visiting their site or following them on their social media channels:

Online: www.urban-nation.net
Facebook: facebook.com/urbannationberlin
Instagram: @urbannationberlin

2015 WALL\THERAPY Artist Videos

2015 WALL\THERAPY Artist Videos

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You can now view ALL of our artist recap videos! Thank you to our awesome video crew who worked day and night to bring you a taste of WALL\THERAPY 2015

WALL\THERAPY 2015 Teaser Trailer

You can also view it on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/134691853

Li-Hill

You can also view it on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/135265888

Andreas Englund

You can also view it on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/135496884

DAZE

You can also view it on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/135494855

NEVERCREW

You can also view it on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/135896958

Eder Muniz

You can also view it on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/135927331

HANDIEDAN

You can also view it on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/133198720

VEXTA
 
You can also view it on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/135935819

BRITTANY WILLIAMS

You can also view it on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/136538753

JEFF SOTO and MAXX242

You can also view it on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/136559723

JOE GUY ALLARD and MATTHEW ROBERTS

You can also view it on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/137139295

NATE HODGE

You can also view it on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/137154747

ONUR and WES21

You can also view it on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/137150868

WALL\THERAPY 2015 winds to a close

WALL\THERAPY 2015 winds to a close

Wall Therapy 2015

After 10 days of frenzied activity, logistical maneuvering, creative expression, and many laughs, group dinners, and companionable conversation at our home base at The Yards, WALL\THERAPY 2015 has come to an end. In its fifth year, the project continued to evolve, most significantly this year through its new partnership with URBAN NATION, which co-curated roughly half of the project’s artists and contributed to the continued realization of our primary goals: transforming Rochester’s urban landscape, providing healing inspiration, and building community.

WALL\THERAPY 2015 was punctuated by three open-to-the-public events. It kicked off with its first ever art exhibition in support of IMPACT! – IMProving Access to Care by Teleradiology, featuring studio work from all of the participating artists. A portion of all sales from the show will go directly to The Synthesis Collaborative to support the IMPACT! project. You can view available work here: http://shop.1975ish.com/category/impact-wt15

IMPACT! seeks to provide easier access to better care in underdeveloped and underserved regions through cloud-based x-ray services and a network of volunteer radiologists supporting IMPACT! sites. Both WALL\THERAPY and IMPACT! are projects of The Synthesis Collaborative. The Synthesis Collaborative is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the health status of communities in the developing world using the tools of teleradiology and cloud computing.

 

Photo by Jason Wilder
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Photo by @markdeffphoto

 

On Thursday, partners, artists, staff, volunteers and visitors enjoyed the FLOOR\THERAPY dance party hosted by The Lobbyist at Rochester’s Bug Jar to celebrate the week’s work.

 

Finally, on Friday, media partners Brooklyn Street Art hosted their popular BSA Film Friday—Live from WALL\THERAPY at the Memorial Art Gallery in Rochester.

 

Photo by Jason Wilder
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Photo by Jason Wilder
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You can view a short trailer of our upcoming artist spotlight videos that we’ll be releasing every Monday in August below:


(or you can view it on Vimeo if you prefer.)

 

THE MURALS

Focused on a theme of surrealism and the fantastic, the artists’ work did not disappoint, with subjects ranging from a whale of melting ice, a young girl with a blooming mind to a retaliating beaver and a battle royale between monsters and robots.

Click on any of the images to open a larger version in a new window.

 

Prior to the official start of WALL\THERAPY 2015, Dutch artist Handiedan completed a wheatpaste mural in Rochester’s South Wedge/Swillburg neighborhood entitled “Bollywood Sugar.”

820 South Clinton Avenue – Photo by @markdeffphoto
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New York City-based artist Daze completed three murals during his time in Rochester, “Rochester Dream” on Rochester’s north side, a collaboration with the city’s local FUA Krew and a final wall on Atlantic Avenue.

646 Joseph Ave – Photo by @markdeffphoto
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646 Joseph Ave – Photo by @markdeffphoto
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FUA KREW production wall with DAZE – Photo by @markdeffphoto
From L – R: Daze, Range FUA, Zoner FUA, Snoe FUA, Mas, Bones FUA
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430 Atlantic Ave – Photo by Jason Wilder
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Daze’s third mural merged into clouds emanating from Nate Hodge’s mural just around the corner on the same building.

430 Atlantic Ave – Photo by Tomas Flint
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Continuing to round the building, visitors will encounter Brazilian artist Eder Muniz’s mural of vibrant animals and mythological creatures dancing across a saturated blue background.

 

430 Atlantic Ave – Photo by Erich Lehman
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The final mural located on the building belongs to Vexta, a Brooklyn-based artist, whose mural of fluorescent cosmic shards is anchored by the face of a masked woman.

430 Atlantic Ave – Photo by Tomas Flint
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Just down Atlantic Avenue, artist Li-Hill completed a large, three-story mural in just over three days.

 

400 Atlantic Ave – Photo courtesy of ©Ian Cox
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Prior to tackling his giant wall, Li-Hill first created an installation piece in an undisclosed location in the Northwest side of the city.

Detail Shot Photo by Lisa Barker
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Nearby on Greenleaf Street, Swedish artist Andreas Englund wrapped up his second ever mural of a resting superhero entitled “Pebbles.”

40 Greenleaf Street – Photo by Jason Wilder
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Just around the corner on an eastern wall at Fedder Industrial Park, which is also populated with work from 2014 WALL\THERAPY artists Addison Karl, Omen, Jarus and Troy Lovegates, local artists Joe Guy Allard and Matthew Roberts created a giant blockbuster mural of a battle between monsters and robots.

1237 East Main Street – Photo by Jason Wilder
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Early in the week, California-based artists Jeff Soto and Maxx242 quickly completed a massive mural in Rochester’s Public Market and then promptly headed to another on which Maxx completed a scripted mural with the words “Love and Sacrifice.”

43 Public Market – Photo by @markdeffphoto
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912 Hudson Ave – Photo by @markdeffphoto
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Near Daze’s first mural on Joseph Avenue, Rochester artist Brittany Williams lay down a striking portrait of a young woman in profile, whose mind splits open to reveal flower petals flowing from her mind.

488 Joseph Avenue – Photo by Jason Wilder
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Swiss artists NEVERCREW created a stunning wall downtown, already popular among WALL\THERAPY followers, that shows a small whale inside a larger whale made of melting ice with the city skyline reflecting back, intersected by a burning ombré ray of sunlight.

14 Capron Street – Photo by Jason Wilder
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Also hailing from Switzerland, artists Onur and Wes21 created a masterpiece of the natural world’s retaliation against human incursion on Main Street.

880 East Main StreetV-VPhoto by Jason Wilder
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Year after year, it becomes more evident that WALL\THERAPY’s mission of inspiration has caught on among its supporters—artists, staff, volunteers, sponsors and community partners alike—and has created an undercurrent of passion in action that makes a project such as this possible. With just 15 artists, our event was an intimate one that allowed the artists time to appreciate the city they are helping to heal, and gave volunteers and staff time to meet those artists whose work will grace 14 of its walls.

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THANK YOU!

The WALL\THERAPY team is sincerely grateful for the support we receive, without which it would be impossible to deliver inspirational mural art throughout Rochester.

To the Rochester community, your support is integral to our continued work. You’ve helped us to raise more than $35,000 on our Indiegogo campaign, without which we would not have gotten the project off the ground. Community sponsors provided meals and beverages that fueled artists, staff and volunteers throughout a busy week. And the donation of time and sharing of links and photos help us to reach more and more community members.

To our major partners — URBAN NATION, Brooklyn Street Art and Montana Cans — your involvement helped us to raise our 2015 event to even greater heights through increased outreach and support.

To business owners who donated walls now graced with WALL\THERAPY murals, thank you for the opportunity and trust you have granted us. You have helped us to continue the work of positive change and healing throughout Rochester.

To our contributing artists, who have honored us with their incredible creations and helped us to continue to heal our city, and whose appreciation for our city is reflected in their dedication to the work, and kind regard for our community members and volunteers, we thank you.

To our volunteers and staff, many of whom took time from their jobs to work long hours in support of our project, managing the complicated logistics of artists and volunteers spread throughout the city, providing hospitality to our artists, ensuring they had the cans of paint and supplies they needed when they needed them, and delivering much needed refreshment and shade during the long hot days of the past week, you are the heart and soul of WALL\THERAPY.

To our photographers and videographers, who often worked long into the night alongside artists to ensure we documented the images of the work, and but also captured the sense of community and enjoyment that surrounds the work, we are enormously grateful.

Please visit our Facebook page to see even more galleries of this year’s event!

Photo courtesy of ©Ian Cox
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(First image at top: Eder Muniz – Photo by Jenn Poggi)