'the underbelly project' by workhorse and PAC
(above) by boxi and ethos
image © luna park


conceived by two well-known street artists, 'the underbelly project' is an exhibition
of street art by 103 artists and contributors from around the world. the show,
which took 18 months in the making, is one of the largest of its kind ever to take
place in one gallery space--a gallery space which turns out to be a secret,
underground subway station in new york, an abandoned part of the city's
transit infrastructure hidden from the public.



by roa
image © luna park


while the unconventional setting, not to mention the illegal aspects of such a showing,
does not encourage or facilitate public viewing, this is entirely the point. the show's curators,
who go by their street-artist pseudonyms of 'workhorse' and 'PAC', were drawn to the idea
of creating a secret treasure trove of art in an otherwise abandoned space. the murals and
paintings work with the cavernous site, preserving and even enhancing its apocalyptic atmosphere.



(left to right) by gaia, stormie
image © luna park


another notion which fueled the exhibition's inception was the direction in which
both curators thought the art had taken in recent years. 'street art' has decidedly
become much more mainstream with artists like banksy becoming a house-hold name.
the aim of creating the collective show in the way that they have was to return to
the fundamentals of the urban art scene, creating with an energy that did not run
on money or recognition.

the list of invited participants range from well-established street artists with gallery
representation to young, up-and-coming contributors from everywhere around the world.



by know hope
image © luna park



by revok ceaze
image © luna park



by momo
image © luna park



by faile
image © luna park



(from left to right) the london police, swoon, imminent disaster
image © luna park



by jeff soto
image © luna park



by dan witz
image © luna park

--
a special thanks to photographer luna park, who was lucky enough
to see the project in person.