archiemcphee:

Photographer Jan Smith shot a series of hauntingly beautiful photos of graffiti in the Ukranian city of Prypiat, evacuated 26 years ago during the Chernobyl nuclear disaster.

” I discovered the graffiti while developing my own project in Pripyat (the city evacuated after the Chernobyl disaster), and was immediately attracted by its style. It was a mix of nostalgic, innocent, and comical, all in a place that was otherwise desolate. Some of the pieces are large and obvious, but many are small and finding them became a bit of a quest. I spent many days exploring the area, and the graffiti became a game of hide and seek that provided relief from the other projects I was developing. I noticed many of the pieces are now fading and wanted to document them before they disappeared—call it a historical archive of sorts. I also wanted the artists who created the graffiti to have better exposure and promote their voice in the debate surrounding the risks of using nuclear energy.

Many people think it is a scary place. I disagree. I think it is beautiful, although very sad and lonely. It was built by one of the best teams of architects at the time, and with so many Soviet symbols still surviving, I felt like I was walking back in time. There is even a sense of elegance in the city. It is full of parks and promenades and many of the public facilities, like the pools and sports facilities are impressive, even by Western standards. There is also a strong artistic element. Many buildings are decorated with mosaics, and some even have stained glass and frescoes. I can understand why so many people once wanted to live there.”

Visit My Modern Metropolis to view more of Jan’s awesome photos and read a Q&A session with the artist.

University of Florida’s unofficial graffiti wall: saw this driving by and EXPLODED. Came back, parked, took photos. I’m not a UF student so I don’t know who did this, but whoever you are, LET’S BE PALS. SERIOUSLY. Let’s deface public property together forever

UPDATE: this, in addition to nearly the entire wall, has been painted over. :’( Very glad I stopped to take pics. Sorry if you wanted to see it! Guess someone will just have to redo it ;) Also, holy bananas, look at all those notes! Very pleased I could share this with everyone :)

archiemcphee:

Jeff Soto ventured into an emergency air duct above the tracks on the Paris Metro where he used chalk to draw some imagery from a dream he had the night before onto the textured and grimy walls. Awesome!

[via Arrested Motion]

Jeff Soto! Oh man, this is awesome. Especially because it’s basically hidden where no one will see… secret art

archiemcphee:

Animae Dementia (roughly translated meaning “soul madness” or “animal madness”) is an ongoing, playful series of awesome wheatpasted pieces by street artists Ro and l’Homme Pendu. The project features the duo installing these giant paste-ups of crazy mythical beings who seem to turn on their unwitting creators. So far works have appeared in Berlin and near Notre Dame in Paris. We can’t wait to see what happens next.

[via Colossal]