Mister Shabazz

Probably my last show for the year...

2012-07-03T22:22:00.001-07:00

Well this blog starts off with a bang...well...more like a crash. I was on my way to drop my artwork off for my next show and let's just say I came to a screeching halt. Due to me living through a car accident that totaled my car the prices of my artwork haven't gone up! Lol (too soon?) After taking care of the ambulance and cops I was fortunate enough to get my undamaged, (undamaged? Yes, undamaged) work to the gallery with some help. The show went well with potential buyers! This show stays up for a month so if you're in the area you should drop in and see all the exceptional work displayed. If not, I captured a few images.

Enjoy.

Undying Flame...

2012-06-19T08:44:00.001-07:00

...in every series you need a fun piece. This piece was fun. Not only did it take me back to my childhood, it reminded me that no matter how strong the wind , rain, etc., if your fire burns strong it'll never go out. This piece brought me back to my childhood because it reminded me of a piece I was doing when I was younger and never finished (actually balled up and threw away) because of a comment made by an ignorant viewer. Long story short, don't try to crush a child's dreams...you're an idiot if you do and, well, I was kind of an idiot for listening to them. I've learned from my mistake and this is my redemption piece. To that ignorant viewer so long ago..."I'm baaccckkk!" Boom.

Enjoy.

Gristle Tattoo...

2012-06-19T08:26:00.002-07:00

...so a few months back I was asked if I wanted to be part of this group show at this tattoo spot and I was a little reluctant. Not that I'm bourgeois or anything, but my art work in a tattoo parlor? How's that gonna work? My concerns were eased when they told me it was also an art gallery and that my work would fit their June show. Lo and behold I was asked to show two pieces. Since I had some work already done I was ready for the show, plus it was hard to paint with pins in my feet at the time. The funny thing is, I'm showing three pieces. What? Three? Yeah you read me, Three. You may ask, "How Shabazz?" I'll tell you how. I was thinking since it was a tattoo spot by day and gallery at night why don't I paint a piece that actually has tattoos?!! So the piece I did was kinda big, but I loved it so much (coulda been the Vicodin I was on) I was willing to sacrifice the two pieces that were chosen to be hung to have my latest and greatest hang in their place. I send an email to the curator asking if this could be done and they replied saying the piece was awesome and I could add it! So art fans, if you're not doing anything June 28th 7-10pm stop by and see what I'm capable of with paint and Vicodin :)

Gristle Tattoo + Art Gallery
178 N 8th Street Brooklyn, NY 11211

Phone	1 (347) 889-6422
Email	info@gristletattoo.com
Website	http://www.gristletattoo.com

Art Takes Times Square

2012-06-19T07:50:00.001-07:00

…Okay, so last night was eventful. I’m all for an after party, but it was Monday, and even though my foot is healing well after my surgery it can still irritate me if I exert it too much. Overall it was nice. I got to meet a few artists, take in Time Square a bit, and have my work displayed...Oh, did I forget to mention my work was being displayed? My bad. Yeah, so I was able to get a shot of my work amongst the gazillion artists displayed and even if it was for just a moment it was a glimpse of what’s to come in my incessant art career.

Here are a few shots from the after party with ?uestLove from the Roots (this guy is everywhere!) doing his thing on the turntables.

Enjoy.

Don't call it a comeback...

2012-05-26T06:56:00.001-07:00

"History in the Making", the fourth addition to the "From Ashes" series is a piece I kinda did a while back, but wasn't able to execute like I wanted, due to deadlines and mostly because of my dad passing away. So, I thought this series was perfect to resurrect an idea in my past that was first created without my undivided attention. In a way, I feel like Marty McFly going back in time to fix the past to create a better future. As I look at "History in the Making" while applying that last stroke of paint I can only smile knowing my future is looking pretty good.

Enjoy.

Playing with "Fire"...

2012-05-21T09:30:00.001-07:00

"Playing with Fire" the third installment of the "From Ashes" series is finally done. Due to not being that mobile these days (foot surgery) this piece took longer than I wanted, but maybe it was for the best... to force me to take my time. Overall I'm more than pleased with the results.

One act of Hendrix became legendary when playing the song "Fire", he set his guitar ablaze for the first time at a concert in London in 1967 by dousing it in lighter fluid and burning it. This act "sparked" me to create this piece and is a perfect fit for my "From Ashes" series.

I want to get to a point in my career where I feel untouchable, to a height where I can do no wrong. Where each piece I do is as natural as breathing. Every piece, every painting created is a step towards perfection. I won't be igniting any paintings anytime soon, but as I continue on my art journey you can be sure I damn will bring the heat.

Enjoy.

Correction...

2012-04-16T09:49:00.001-07:00

Correction. It isn't just two clicks and you're done. I've been informed that you must click the link to collect my work, and then sign up with Facebook to make the click to collect count. Sorry for misinforming you, but if you voted could you vote again doing the above? Thanks. http://rahimshabazz.artistswanted.org/atts2012

Fahrenheit247

2012-04-15T09:11:00.000-07:00

Fahrenheit247 is an all-encompassing entertainment and lifestyle digital magazine. Our staff has been chosen to bring you the latest and greatest on what’s hot at home and in the streets, from travel, to food, from east coast to west, up top, down south and all across the globe. We look forward to bringing you more than just what’s popular and what every other media outlet is showing or telling you about. Fahrenheit247 looks to bring it to you before it becomes the next big thing, and bring it to you with a style and finesse that no other media outlet can. Specializing in the I-75 Corridor we stay connected. Stay tuned to everything we have to offer.

http://www.fahrenheit247.com/

SHABAZZ NEEDS YOUR VOTES!!!

2012-04-11T23:17:00.001-07:00

...if you think I'm awesome let me know, and thanks in advance :) I need 77 votes but more would be nice! Vote for these paintings to take over TIMES SQUARE!!!

Here is the link to vote for me:
http://rahimshabazz.artistswanted.org/atts2012

Studio 580: 2nd Show of the Year

2012-04-01T12:06:00.001-07:00

Studio 580 group art show brought forth an overwhelming crowd (around 500), artist and art lovers alike. It's always refreshing to have a viewer soak in the art work not needing some origin story to why it was created. The very act of creating it should be reason enough to enjoy (in my opinion). Add some wine and the evening was packed (literally) with compelling conversation and good times. Overall, I'm glad I was part of it. I don't think anyone could have anticipated the number of people last night and I was a bit disappointed I couldn't enjoy the viewing of the pieces as much as I'd like to, but on the other hand exposure is always a good thing...right? For your viewing pleasure here's some pics of last nights show and here's a link to view even more.

https://plus.google.com/photos/111120703430989546426/albums/5726455949630675265

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=An7N8KQRBJQ&feature=youtu.be

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=By_JKzTzu1c&feature=youtu.be

Enjoy.

"From Ashes..."

2012-03-31T07:00:00.001-07:00

"Art never comes from happiness." Chuck Palahniuk

In my nightmares I race, like a mad man, toward my former self ...desperately trying to beat the clock in order to save him from the moment that turned him into me. I'm so close, but I never make it. I arrive only to look at this boy, and what I can tell from the bruises, a boy that held on for as long as he could (because who would continue torturing something that was already dead?)...but, as always, I was too late and here I am in a similar body starting from scratch to piece together what I once was. It's kinda hard to do so when innocence and hope aren't in the makeup of the foundation anymore. I sometimes see his battered face when I look in the mirror. Sometimes my lips are moving, but it's his voice saying, "This isn't about getting better, no need in looking for closure." With those words as my foundation I've created me. Someone that knows pain. Someone that has risen from the ashes to salvage what didn't burn. "you're capable of anything when you've lost everything". "From Ashes..." will be a series of becoming more than what one once was by minimizing the limits that held them back in the first place.

Enjoy.

More work will be posted from this series momentarily.

Thorns and Roses: Pleasure is Pain Series

2012-03-20T23:16:00.001-07:00

Musiq Soulchild sang it best in, "Who Knows"...
"Now ain't no need to be afraid
Cause I'll be as gentle as it takes
To provide you with the right amount of
Pleasure and pain and I'll
Make sure that you feel alright
Even if it takes me all night
Cause the joy is all mine
When I know your satisfied
So lets keep giving all we got
and who knows..."

I've dated roses, and from afar their beauty is unmatched, but they're also guarded with "thorns". I admit, I'm pricked every time. I welcome this, as it reminds me of the importance of what ensues. I openly accept the pleasure with the pain, teaching me to respect and maintain a balance of vulnerability and courage. The risk is always worth it when our lips touch, its like swimming. To me, a kiss is an attempt at the impossible... the theoretical mechanisms of perpetual motion. It is stopped by the external friction of coming up for mere moments of air, entwined with a want/need to keep moving, as if floating, hovering over disbelievers that have sunk to the bottom as you "fly" above not fighting, but melding with the strong current of love as the doubters below have drowned giving up on any act of rescue or recovering from the continuous crashing of the waves of rejection. In my three piece series I'm simply trying to interpret that if pleasure wasn't worth the risk of pain we wouldn't even bother. It's the balance of two irrational emotions that equal out to a rational answer, but if one doesn't even attempt the equation, you'll always be the one asking, "who knows?".

Enjoy.

Practice...

2012-02-28T10:14:00.002-08:00

Practice

...last night was exactly how I imagined when sitting alone at lunch time in my art class in high school. I would constantly have daydreams of someday being good enough to finally present my work in an environment I thought I had no place being. I'd practice until the hours when night met day repeating, "Just one more year, and I'll be ready." I mean, I was taught about the "greats" and how they came about (usually through some kind of pain/trauma) and just until a few years ago I had trouble relating (due to not being honest with myself). Lies are worse lived than told. Last night though (exhales), I felt at home...like this really has been in the making since high school. Heh, for some reason Drakes song "Practice" played over and over in my head last night as I drank gin and juices amongst friends and guests explaining how my work came to be. I think everything in my life before NY was just practice. No offense to the great people I've met in the past (and for the not so great people...I'll save those words for an interview when I'm famous lol) it's just, I've always imagined myself here, and now it's time to show what practice has created.

My next show is on:
March 31st
7:00pm - close
Studio 580
580 8th Ave & 38th st.
NY, NY 10018

Enjoy.

American Phoenix...

2012-02-10T12:35:00.001-08:00

Sunflowers, which blindly follow the sun have become a symbol of infatuation or foolish passion. I use this symbolism to reflect how blindly the people followed Obama just because he was "black"(wanting so badly for any type of "change" in America). This desensitized generation driven by instant gratification chose him, hoping for a tourniquet/quick fix in a hemorrhaging nation, where the American dream was now a dream of excess instead of one getting their fair share. As Obamas first term continued (a stopwatch was attached to the fixing of accumulated problems), a lot of followers felt betrayed, due to the "slow" results produced. Slaves to their accustomed ways of living in abundance where the slogan for change became more towards internal individualistic minimalism than previously interpreted as an external change, thought to take place immediately after casting their vote. The butterflies I use in the piece symbolize change (a slogan Obama used) and rebirth after being inside a cocoon for a period of time representing Americas future, hopeful, in the time needed to go through the phases in order to successfully transform.

Enjoy.

"Ménage à trois Manifesto"

2012-01-05T16:14:00.000-08:00

I've felt more compelled these days to paint in abstract ways that allow me to show technique with the celebration of music and colour. "Menage a trois Manifesto" is my triptych interpretation of the music of Johann Sebastian Bach: The Prelude Suite for Solo Cello No. 1 in G Major. Enjoy.

Seppuku: the bailout suicides

2012-01-01T22:49:00.000-08:00

I know I'm late with these images, but let's just say I've had one busy year! This work is from my Seppuku Series called: Seppuku: the bailout suicides. Basically each woman represents a company (like AIG) that took money from the gov. only to use that money to give their CEO's bonuses. I feel the only way for them to redeem themselves to the American people is to commit seppuku, Japanese ritual suicides by the stabbing of ones self or disembowelment while being beheaded in simultaneous movement. Yes, it is gorey but it's a political statement that must be said and documented through visual history. Also, the Kanji written on each piece says which of the codes of Bushido (the seven principles of Samurai) that each company has broken. Enjoy

"Religious Tattoos" (show)

2009-05-16T15:10:00.000-07:00

... Bishop T.D. Jakes owns this piece!

…religious tattoos are like oxymorons: figures of speech that combine two normally contradictory terms. In many religions “body art” is prohibited, but in a way religion is its own tattoo. Whether it be a visual or a mental tattoo, Religions were designed to be permanent. Our bodies are seen as temples in some religions and must be without blemish for our religion to inhabit and be at peace. To me, the act of going through any pain for something or someone is the equivalent of dedicating yourself to a religion. How can so many religions shun body art when it displays many of the traits you must possess to be part of a religion. For example; you must believe or have faith in what you’re displaying to the world, you must also show commitment to this act, whether it be a tattoo or a religion. Perseverance is needed through the pain of a tattoo or pain of persecution and both promise satisfaction and or peace when completed. Not saying getting a cartoon character tattooed on your body equates as a religious experience. I’m just trying to open viewers eyes to the possibilities of two “opposites” finding a common ground through art. Welcome to my interpretation where oil mixes with water.

RE:ACTIONS / Controlled Chaos Theory

2009-05-16T13:53:00.000-07:00

"I believe visual order can be accomplished through sporadic, spontaneous acts. May it be by an accumulation of winds at various speeds to create a tornado, or the inside of a watch with it’s gears, and springs dedicated to form the intangible sense of faith we call “time”. Injuring my right arm in Baghdad caused me to discover a style I’ve coined as “controlled chaos”. Not being able to illustrate as well during my rehabilitation, I was forced to scribble a mass of lines on paper until they formed into the image I wanted. By doing this not only was the image visually acceptable, but also the beauty of the line was displayed. Line weight, positive & negative space, light & dark lines all thrown on a page to create the art of control, and discipline through my rebellious acts of chaos.

Here's the link to my interview:

http://www.kpsplocal2.com/global/video/popup/pop_playerLaunch.asp?vt1=v&clipFormat=flv&clipId1=3677765&at1=Community&h1=Rahim

Shabazz Creates Art Through Pain

and

http://www.kpsplocal2.com/global/video/popup/pop_playerLaunch.asp?vt1=v&clipFormat=flv&clipId1=3677760&at1=Community&h1=Rahim

Shabazz Spoken Word Performance

www.kpsplocal2.com

Source: www.kpsplocal2.com

http://www.mydesert.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/200904170300/LIFESTYLES0104/904160347

and

http://www.mydesert.com/article/20090421/LIFESTYLES0104/904210317/1054/lifestyles0104/Artist+canvasses+emotional+battles

American Terrorist... (the show)

2009-05-16T13:32:00.000-07:00

...a few shots from my show "American Terrorist", the idea was to show Americans how the rest of the world sees us with the themes of plastic surgery, commercialism, how we view our heroes, to the very words we say.

Chronology of Change...

2009-05-16T13:24:00.000-07:00

...just some pics of my painting "Chronology of Change". This piece was part of my series "American Terrorist". This piece was sent to the White House!

Mos Def + Jim Crow = ME

2009-05-13T18:43:00.000-07:00

My boy sent me a link of Mos Def showing off some Urban-esqe Fashion and thought I should check it out... as I looked at Mos' jacket it showed a cartoon of Jim Crow! I'm not shocked or ashamed that such a great lyricist is sportin' something racist, it's just that it's MY cartoon! Let me explain, I have been working on my Jim Crow character for about three years now and to see Mos wear some Warner Bros cut and paste alteration of my idea (or should I say revamped) I felt I should push my character a little bit harder so everyone will know what I've been doing for the last three years! So whoever reads this blog let me know whose "Jim Crow" is better!

...oh, here's the link:

http://blogs.sohh.com/nyc/archives/2009/04/post_6.html

...for more Jim Crow go to:

http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=385834974&albumID=837617&imageID=7200755