Boston Street Art

I spend many a lunch break walking around Boston just taking in my surroundings and enjoying the scenery. Lately, I’ve noticed that many of these surroundings are covered with strategically placed stickers. I love the unexpectedness, creativity, and humor I find in these simple little things. And though they come in a simple form, I think they make for great street art.

This walk sign was the first one that stuck out to me. I was standing at the crosswalk waiting for the signal to change so that I could cross the street, and when it did I couldn’t help but laugh. But, I was also confused for a second because I didn’t know if the sign was telling me it was safe to walk or safe to rake the street! I decided to walk… and photograph. I think my favorite thing about this simple little sticker placement is that unless you catch it at the right time it might not seem like much. It only makes sense when the ‘walk’ sign is lit up, and you might miss it if the orange ‘stop’ light is glowing.

I’ve seen these koala bear stickers in a few different locations, but I think that giving Boston’s iconic swan a furry facelift made this one my favorite.  Since I had seen a few of the stickers, it also got me wondering what it was all about. Where does this headdress donning creature hail from? I put my googling abilities to the test to figure it out… and to make sure I wasn’t accidentally posting about anything offensive (you never know!). Turns out this little guy is far from offensive! He actually belongs to Coalatree, a pretty sweet Colorado-based company focused on healthy living and action sports. No wonder this sticker appealed to me!

I found this third piece right outside of my work, and not only does it make a construction sign adorable somehow, it’s also very clever advertising.  Due to construction in the area, I’m bombarded with detour and warning signs on my way to and from work. Needless to say, I was thrilled when I spotted a detour sign with a little character (literally!) that made it stick out among the rest. 

Upon further investigation I discovered that Wear Chemistry is an ethically conscious 

clothing company that is “inspired by Science. Art. Words. Everyday Life.” I can dig that! 

Already inspired by all of the little street art I had been seeing lately, you can imagine my surprise when I stumbled upon this beautiful piece on my lunch break! Street art depicting characters creating street art?! It’s as if the artists knew I was going to write a post about this subject!

I didn’t have to look too hard to figure out what this street art was all about. Shortly after I spotted it, I saw an article in the Metro about the artists and their other works. It’s actually becoming quite a hot topic, as one of their other pieces is stirring up some controversy. I say controversy shmontroversy, I just want to talk about how cool this is. As an artist, I love seeing art in unexpected places, and that’s what I’ve found here. 

So who’s the artist anyway? Turns out there are two of them and that they are twin brothers from Brazil.  Known as Os Gêmeos, the brothers currently have an exhibit at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston, which will run until November 25, 2012. Check out the ICA site for more info and keep your eyes peeled for more awesome street art in the city!

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