Brian Nobili (Brian Dwels) (born December 21, 1976) is an American street photographer and videographer.
Contents
- Biography
- Philosophy
- Works
- Tuff City Styles
- SocialFlow
- NYCstreetphotography.com
- Independent
- References
Brian Nobili (Brian Dwels) (born December 21, 1976) is an American street photographer and videographer.
Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, but a long-time and current resident of The Bronx, New York, Brian is an integral video producer and graphic designer on the New York City street scene.
After developing a signature street style as the visual artist Brian Dwels, Nobili sought to expand his artistic repertoire and joined the US Navy, serving for eight years. While stationed in Japan, Brian emerged as a leading influence in the developing Sasebo, Nagasaki graffiti community.
His evolution into one of New York's premier street artists continued with his work at Heavy.com and his work in video production and graphic design at Tuff City Styles.
Nobili focuses on capturing the minute aspects of New York City culture. He considers his work environmental portraiture. He has been influenced most notably by Ricky Powell and Dan Uneken, whom he met while serving in Spain. Nobili has a Ph.D. from the Rickford Institute of NYC Street Photography, founded by Ricky Powell. Brian's photography and films are well known throughout the art world and street community. His works have received news coverage from around the world.
Nobili worked with Tuff City Styles as the head of the video production from July 2008 to July 2011. During these three years, he garnered numerous commendations for his work. Aside from running the Tuff City Blog, [1] Brian documented various events. His documentary of the Tuff City Styles’ tagging of Rikers Island received international news coverage [2] and featured some of today's most notable graffiti artists. [3] The project continued in the summer of 2013, as members of Los Angeles-based Seventh Letter collaborated with original taggers TATS CRU and Tuff City. [4]
After legendary graffiti writer Iz the Wiz died in June 2009, The New York Times released a blogpost about his final train bombing, [5] which Nobili had covered. [6]
As Tuff City Styles expanded, Nobili was instrumental in fulfilling its vision as the omnipotent source of creative street services, attracting popular artists such as Mister Cartoon, whose adventures at Tuff City Styles were chronicled by Red Bull. [7]
Nobili maintains many relationships with renowned New York City graffiti artists, including CES, Serve, Bio (graffiti artist), Redy Roc Redz and T Kid, with whom he has frequently worked with. [8]
From July 2011 to September 2013, Brian worked as the Director of Enlightenment at SocialFlow, a social media optimization platform based in New York City. His videos have received considerable media attention, [9] particularly the initiative he spearheaded between Vice (magazine) and SocialFlow [10]
In October 2012, Nobili returned to his roots, co-founding NYCstreetphotography.com with long-time friend Ricky Powell. The two seek to bring together the greats of street photography with the up-and-comer all with the purpose of preserving and documenting NYC culture. [11]
Brian's independent work spans a wide range of genres. He has directed music videos, [12] in which he transcends the traditional limitations that restrain the budding director and artist.
His first DVD “Rappin’ with the Rickster” was named a must-have by Juxtapoz. [13]
Nobili's work on a Burger King campaign while at HEAVY.com received commendation from The New York Times . [14]
More recently, Nobili's documentation of artist Serve TCS's tribute to Elizabeth Taylor garnered coverage by News 12 the Bronx. [15]
Nobili was a contributing photographer for the book Graffiti Tattoo: Kings on Skin. [16]
His own graffiti writing was featured at Bridgeports Art Fest as part of the Urban Beautification & Murals Project/Graffiti Block Party. [17]
In December 2011, Nobili was a contributing artist to TheGoodLife! presents The Rickford Institute All-Star Classic Group Photography Exhibition, curated by Ricky Powell, at Milk Studios in New York. The show was sponsored by Pony International, Kangol, Heineken International, and Frank151. [18]
Nobili continued to collaborate with Ricky Powell with a January 2012 "The Rickster vs. Dwels"art show at Camarades el Barrio in Spanish Harlem. The show featured some of Powell’s and Dwels’ most famous and infamous photographs, reinterpreted by several artist using the photographs as a canvas and bringing a new meaning and life to each. The show included performances by DJs Bobbito García, TJ Mizell, and Smoke LES. [19]
Most recently, Nobili has pursued his passion for photography and community through the Bronx Artist Documentary Project, or BxADP. The brainchild of Daniel Hauben, BxADP is an official Bronx Centennial Event celebrating the 100th anniversary of the creation of Bronx County and through its exhibition will highlight the diversity of local Bronx artists and photographers. The borough-wide collaborative endeavor involved 30 Bronx photographers documenting 70 Bronx visual artists at work in their studios or other Bronx venues. [20] Nobili was responsible for working with legendary graffiti artists KingBee UW, T Kid, CES, and YES2. [21]
Graffiti is art that is written, painted or drawn on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from simple written words to elaborate wall paintings, and has existed since ancient times, with examples dating back to ancient Egypt, ancient Greece, and the Roman Empire.
Fred Brathwaite, more popularly known as Fab 5 Freddy, is an American visual artist, filmmaker, and hip hop pioneer. He is considered one of the architects of the street art movement. Freddy emerged in New York's downtown underground creative scene in the late 1970s as a graffiti artist. He was the bridge between the burgeoning uptown rap scene and the downtown No Wave art scene. He was immortalized in 1981 when Debbie Harry rapped on the Blondie song "Rapture" that "Fab 5 Freddy told me everybody's fly." In the late 1980s, Freddy became the first host of the groundbreaking hip-hop music video show Yo! MTV Raps.
Richard Colón, better known by his stage name Crazy Legs, is an American b-boy who was featured in the earliest stories on hip hop dancing to appear in mainstream press, and as president of the Rock Steady Crew brought the form to London and Paris in 1983. Today he is also involved in community outreach, dance instruction, and dance theater productions. He has appearanced in fiction films and documentaries. Crazy Legs is current president of the Rock Steady Crew.
Wild Style is a 1983 American hip hop film directed and produced by Charlie Ahearn. Regarded as the first hip hop motion picture, it includes appearances by seminal figures such as Fab Five Freddy, Lee Quiñones, Lady Pink, The Rock Steady Crew, The Cold Crush Brothers, Queen Lisa Lee of Zulu Nation, Grandmaster Flash and ZEPHYR.
ZEPHYR, born Andrew Witten, is a graffiti artist, lecturer and author from New York City. He began writing graffiti in 1975 using the name "Zephyr" in 1977. He is considered a graffiti "elder", who along with Futura 2000, Blade, PHASE 2, CASH, Lady Pink and TAKI 183 invented styles and standards which are still in use.
Henry Chalfant is an American photographer and videographer most notable for his work on graffiti, breakdance, and hip hop culture.
Street art is visual art created in public locations for public visibility. It has been associated with the terms "independent art", "post-graffiti", "neo-graffiti" and guerrilla art.
Michael Christopher Tracy, known as Tracy 168, was an American graffiti artist. He pioneered the art form known as Wildstyle. Tracy 168 came to be known as one of the most influential graffiti and street artists of all time, as variations of Wild Style writing spread around the world. He is acknowledged to have been a seminal figure in the development of street art. Books about 1970s graffiti feature his car-long paintings with their characteristic kinetic script embellished with flames, arrows as well as cartoon characters and the "Tracy face," a grinning shaggy-haired visage in wrap-around shades.
John Fekner is an American artist known for his spray painted environmental and conceptual outdoor works.
Ricky Powell was an American photographer who documented popular culture including hip hop, punk rock, graffiti, and pop art. His photographs have been featured in The New York Times, the New York Post, the Daily News, The Village Voice, TIME, Newsweek, VIBE, The Source, Rolling Stone, among other publications. His photographs included candid portraits of artists including Jean-Michel Basquiat, Andy Warhol, Madonna, in addition to many other popular culture artists and other common people. His photographs were included in the books The Rap Photography of Ricky Powell! (1998), The Rickford Files: Classic New York Photographs (2000), Frozade Moments: Classic Street Photography of Ricky Powell (2004), and Public Access: Ricky Powell Photographs (2005) and were exhibited both domestically and internationally.
Cheryl Dunn is an American documentary filmmaker and photographer. She has made two feature films, Everybody Street (2013) and Moments Like This Never Last (2020). She has had three books of photographs published: Bicycle Gangs of New York (2005), Some Kinda Vocation (2007) and Festivals are Good (2015).
Phetus is a New York artist with roots in the graffiti and street art movement. Originally from Huntington, Long Island, now based in Manhattan, "Phetus" has been creating artwork under his "Phat Phace" icon since 1988. He began his career as a graffiti artist by taking trips into New York City.
Graffiti in New York City has had a substantial local, national, and international influence.
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The Quin is a luxury hotel in New York City. It is located on 57th Street and Sixth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, two blocks south of Central Park.
Ricky Ann Lauren, is an American author, artist, photographer, and psychotherapist, and the wife of fashion designer Ralph Lauren.
Ananda Nahu is a Brazilian graffiti artist born in Bahia, Brazil in 1985. In 2001, she moved from Juazeiro to Salvador, where she attended the College of Design in 2003 and the Fine Arts School at the Federal University of Bahia in 2004. Throughout this time, she developed interests in diverse artistic expressions such as photography, Fine Arts Paintings and engravings, as a result of her studies and research on lithography, serigraphy, metal graving, and posters.
Torrick Ablack, also known as Toxic, is an American artist who was part of the graffiti movement of the early 1980s in New York City. He transitioned from street art to exhibiting his paintings in galleries and museums internationally.
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