ABOUT THE WORK

Kung Fu WildStyle…the Hong Kong Pop-up opening bash. from FABNEWYORK on Vimeo.

Vernissage in Cologne Germany 2013. from FABNEWYORK on Vimeo.

This exhibit at Martina Kaiser’s Cologne gallery came together as a homage to a dear friend who passed away not long ago, Ica Souvignier. Her husband and noted Gerrman film producer, Michael Souvignier, is also a photographer and less then 2 months before, he invited me to exhibit some of my paintings with his photos at the Martina Kaiser gallery there in April. Ica would have truly loved the idea and gesture. Old friends came out in force including members of Germanys most noted rock band, The Toten Hosen who I once recorded a song with in the 1980’s.

Articles about the work:

www.artinthestreets.tv

http://www.juxtapoz.com/current/blondie-the-hardest-part-featuring-art-by-fab-5-freddy-x-lee-x-basquiat

http://boingboing.net/2012/02/28/brain-rot-hip-hop-family-tree-8.html

https://suitandartist.com/fab-5-freddy-on-street-art/

http://blog.mam.org/2011/04/26/fab-5-freddy-told-me-everybodys-fly/

http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2008/aug/26/street.art

These video essays, “Everything Is A Remix” is a clear and concise way of illustrating how darn near everything under the sun has been created. Who knew the concept of the remix is at the core of the creative process as we know it?

Back in the mid 80′s as the emergence of hip hop music moved past the Sugarhill Records era of rappers rapping over bands playing the rhythm tracks of songs early Hip Hop DJ’s played for rappers, like Chic’s “Good Times” for The SugarHill Gang, producers like Rick Rubin, Marly Marl and Public Enemy’s The Bomb Squad began to dismember the kick drum, snare, bass, guitar chords, keyboards,and horn sections along with cutting and scratching sounds to create soundscapes that captured the gritty, grimy and intoxicating sounds of live raw hip hop in its infancy.

Many musicians attacked this new creative process of making music and the seminal Brooklyn rap group, Stetsasonic, issued a rebuttal song to them in 1988 called, “Talking All That Jazz”, and I was honored to direct that songs music video in 1989. The song and concept of the video addressed and defended this creative process of sampling and hence remixing way before it became common practice in making music.

My new pictures have been assailed by some for using these same cut up, sampling and remixing ideas in my work and thats to be expected, especially by those not familiar with the modern art practice of appropriation. However, in the beginning of the new, this is to be expected yet the work ultimately will speak for itself because everything is indeed, a remix.