Kenny Scharf: Far Rockaway Mural

Painter and street art legend Kenny Scharf (b. 1958 in Hollywood, CA) has been active in New York City and around the world since the early 1970's, alongside such artist peers and close friends as Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat. One of the first artists to inject elements of street culture into contemporary art, Scharf has continued to pioneer murals of all sizes, and projects such as his Cosmic Cavern, a now legendary all-night DayGlo disco party held in the basement of a Brooklyn warehouse. His paintings incorporate imagery from advertisements, cartoons and classic Americana into exuberant compositions with an underlying subversive edge.

Scharf’s newest mural, organized by Clocktower Productions for Playland Motel, reflects the warmth and energy of the Rockaways. Expanding beyond the Playland wall to neighboring cars and garage doors at the request of local residents, Scharf’s project captures the unique qualities of street art –the immediate, performative quality of painting and its direct engagement of the diverse local community that welcomes it.

Kenny Scharf: The Gates Project

Even more of Kenny Scharf's signature style of art is hitting the streets of New York City. Throughout the month of June 2011, Scharf will be painting nearly 100 storefront security gates in various locations throughout downtown Manhattan. In collaboration with the creative agency Lado B, The Gates Project will be presented by Anonymous Gallery as a part of their gallery program. Host Jeannie Hopper sits down with Joseph Ian Henrikson, the founder and director of Anonymous Gallery, and the artist himself to discuss the project.