Friday, Jan. 6 – Great American Art Hype
Who knows why graffiti is so popular? We understand the impulse to create it – since there’s been paint and hands, humans have been making marks just to prove their existence – but why should anyone want to gaze upon another man’s doodle? And if that sounds like a gutter-minded pun, well, fair enough: This stuff springs from (and often lives in) the gutter. Orlando’s not the easiest place to throw up a piece, but the street-art scene is vital nonetheless – plenty of artists making it, and an audience that eats it up. The organizers of the Great American Art Hype promise “this ain’t no show with pretty landscapes and kittens in a basket. This is a bunch of bad ass art,” so maybe it’s the attitude, not the art, that appeals. This show at Mills 50’s Substance gallery features the work of Matt Johnson, Danny Rock, Benjamin Sawinski, Ernie Turner and Wolfrich – some of which can also be seen gracing neighborhood walls and utility boxes. – Jessica Bryce Young (8 p.m. at Substance Art Bar, 934 N. Mills Ave.; facebook.com/substanceartbar; free)