Open Air, is a documentary produced by Alyssa Natches and Lou Auguste about contemporary street artists, which will be presented in conjunction with an exhibition of new works by Michael De Feo, Faile, Skewville, Dan Witz, and Tiki Jay-One, all of whom are featured in the film.

Alyssa and Lou were driven to produce Open Air out of their desire to achieve greater public understanding of an art form that is inherently wrought with contradictions. The fundamental disagreement between those that think of street art as vandalism and those who see it as a valid art form has become only more clouded as street art has grown to encompass much more than just spray-painted graffiti. The artists featured in the film demonstrate the range of forms that street art can take: from concrete castings and wood constructions to stencils and wheat pastings.

These artists also challenge the assumption that they are always working in opposition to the law. In fact, contemporary street artists are increasingly casting themselves in roles more akin to people’s advocate than public nuisance. As the film reveals, many seek to recapture the use of public space from big businesses whose quest for advertising opportunities has increasingly encroached on what was once publicly owned. On the other hand, much of this work that is placed deliberately in the public domain is still used unabashedly for the purpose of self-promotion.

The finished film is an unprecedented exploration into the psyches of some of the most prominent street artists around today. Open Air features interviews and live art by Skewville, Tiki Jay One, Faile, Dan Witz, Michael De Feo, ROBOTS will KILL, Meres from 5POINTZ and ESPO, among others.

The accompanying exhibition will transform the interior of Stay Gold Gallery into an environment resembling the industrial and construction sites so often used by street artists. Plywood sheets will be installed to accommodate spray-paint, stencils, and wheat pasted flyers. There will also be a large collaborative installation based on a construction by Skewville and expounded upon the other artists.

The opening reception on June 23rd will feature live music by DJ Oja and Saheer Umar, and will be sponsored by Newcastle Brown Ale. The film will be screened several times at the opening and during the run of the show. Copies of the Open Air DVD will be sold at the gallery.