In the early years of Stencil Archive, Hao (Stencil Archive here and 2004 interview here) began submitting his stencils from the streets of Paris. He supported the project, and was also excited to be part of the 2009 Stencil Nation book project. I never got to meet him in person, but knew that he was inspired by DIY, ska, punk, Pacific Island culture, and the lowbrow Los Angeles art style.

What I remember most about Hao is his enthusiasm, encouragement, and anticapitalist belief that stencils are for the streets, free for everyone to enjoy. He kept a low online profile, didn't seek gallery exhibits or even notariety beyond the Paris streets. He also inspired others to get in on the stencil fun, which is how I only recently found out about his death around 2012/3.

Staying in touch with him was difficult. At one point, he friended me on Facebook, but used an alias. He sent me a PM telling me that it was Hao from France. Eventually I lost touch with him again.

Sadly, I will finally get to visit Paris this summer, but I will not get to meet Lord Hao. As soon at the tickets were booked, I searched online to try to figure out a way to find him, and I only found a few memorial posts about his passing.

So here is a belated farewell to an artist I admired, both for his talent and his kindness. Rest In Paint, Hao. You are missed!

Street Artist 'Sign-Bombs' Downtown Neighborhoods With 450 'Honey Bears'
Mon. January 29, 2018, 4:34pm
by Nathan Falstreau for hoodline
 

Street art is part of San Francisco's landscape, but one local artist recently installed hundreds of pieces of his work to spark a conversation about using public spaces as a canvas for self-expression.

Over the weekend, fnnch [Stencil Archive album], best known for his depictions of honey bears, ladybugs, seashells, flamingos and turtles, fastened 450 pieces to utility poles between Market and Harrison and the Embarcadero and 5th Street. To comply with city rules for posting signs, he mounted the artwork using zip ties.

The installation, which features an array of honey bears and was billed as "sign bombing," aims to bring attention to what the artist deems "an excessive and absurd amount of [legal] signage." According to fnnch, adhering a "simple sticker" to public property could result in possible felony or misdemeanor charges.

The artist hopes to sway future legislation with the work and has teamed up with Care2 to start a petition urging members of the Board of Supervisors to decriminalize certain types of street art. As of this writing, the petition has garnered 10,816 signatures of support out of a goal of obtaining 11,000.

In particular, fnnch wants the city to decriminalize the application of stickers and wheatpaste—a removable adhesive that's commonly used by street artists.

“What I want to do is show the absurdity of our laws," he said in a statement. "Had these signs been affixed with adhesive to the poles, I could go to jail, but if they are put up with tape or a zip-tie, then it not only becomes legal to hang them up, but illegal for anyone to take them down.”

In Memory of MICHAEL ROMAN
Stenciled Visions of Love, Peace and Chaos
at the Mission Cultural Center
his Stencil Archive photo set

In remembrance of our artist friend, we invite you to come and celebrate Michael Roman’s creative works. Michael was a long time artist-in-resident and supporter of the Mission Cultural Center. His signature works left a lasting legacy for the Bay Area Community and beyond. We honor his artistic contributions by showcasing some of his works. This exhibition will feature works from personal collections.

Opening
JANUARY 26, 2018 | $5 Admission | Inti-Raymi
Exhibit Dates:
JAN 26th - FEB 17th, 2018 | $2 Admission | Inti-Raymi

Music support by Robert Zimmerman, via WREK.
<<< Ana Rossi mourns the Mission on Dia de los Muertos.

Clarion Alley

Financial District

The Mission

Western Addition

Haight Street

Valencia Street

SF Protest Sign (just one)

Up on Market Street (just one)

Eclair

Sol Mission

Solis

Tunes while working, compliments of KPOO, WREK, and WFMU.
<<< Banksy always suggests reading the fine print while in Bethlehem!

Banksy (just one)

Btoy (just one, thanks BSA)

Rice (thanks BSA)

Stefan Winterle (only one)

>NEW< Stinkfish (CO, thanks Colab)

In Barcelona (thanks BSA)

Portugal (just one, thanks Colab)

UK (just one)

Brazil (thanks Amanda)

In Media (A Spike Lee Joint)

East Bay, in Oakland

Sticky Shaw in Baker, CA (just one)

<<< A beaver on Beaver St., SF (by Sol Mission)

New photos for the Stencil Archive, uploaded between hacking/stripping sugar cane stalks and chewing out the sweet goodness!

>NEW< Papel Picado de Beatriz Vasquez (SF)

>NEW< Papel Picado de Adriana Garcia (SF)

>NEW< Praxis (NYC)

Peat Eyez in SF

eclair

fnnch

Jeremy Novy (just one)

Sol Mission

<<< From the altar "Para Mama Benita con Amor" by Beatriz Vasquez at the SOMArts 2017 Day of the Dead exhibition

November 14, 2017 5:16 pm
for Mission Local (LINK, with photos)

It was on a trip to Mexico after her father’s death that Beatriz Vasquez discovered the centuries-old Mexican craft that has become the vehicle for her art.

Papel picado, which involves cutting designs into layers of thin tissue paper, goes back to pre-Hispanic Mexico and is still used for events like weddings, baptisms and other festivals or ceremonies.

“It’s very disposable, and nobody really sees it as a fine art,” said the 49-year-Vasquez, who has a year-long fellowship with Root Division, where she teaches. And she has a residency at The Growlery, where artists live and work, rent-free, in a restored Victorian-era home.

During her trip to Mexico, Vasquez researched the craft and began to see papel picado as a metaphor for the indigenous women she was interviewing.

“I saw the paper as very fragile, but extremely beautiful and extremely sustainable and extremely versatile,” she said. “Kind of like what we are.”

It was then, Vasquez said, that she thought, “‘I’m gonna take this craft, disposable art form and turn it into fine art.’”

Her pieces are generally large — sometimes seven feet tall — and depict her experiences with politics, self-expression and her Mexican culture. In her work, there are intricate cuts of skeletons, butterflies and pineapples.

The very nature of the art and how a successful piece operates reflects society, she said. “Everything has to connect for it to work,” she said. “If we don’t connect with each other, it doesn’t work.”

One piece, La Sirena Feminista, tackles the topic of machismo in the Latino community. The work, created in 2015, is based on a traditional Mexican card game known as the Lotería. The face of la Sirena is that of Beatriz.