joe iurato's wooden street art miniatures narrate stories of urban life

joe iurato’s wooden street art miniatures narrate stories of urban life
all images courtesy of the artist

taking cues from his personal experiences, new jersey-based artist joe iurato unites old-fashioned printing processes with contemporary street art style for his series of urban interventions. the miniature figures he intricately carves range from guitar players to breakdancers, each subtly added to a city landscape and interacting within the scene.

the site-specific placements of the pieces often use the surrounding environment to complete their narratives — a puddle acts as the pool of water for which a man in a small wooden boat solemnly sits; explorers with suitcases and backpacks walk along a railroad line; a young boy scribbles the words ‘small world’ onto the edge of a sidewalk. each stenciled composition comprises spray paint and a wooden cut-out, creating texture and form for each painted personality. the ongoing series, which has seen interventions blend into new york city streets and seaside landscapes, seeks to tell a story of each character’s everyday life in their surrounding environment, narrating a small piece of urban existence.

‘blues brook’

‘wind chill factor’

‘daybreak’

‘danimal and the mad lion’

‘sign’

‘the vast suburban tundra and an oncoming firebird’

‘JK’

‘mode rips marine stadium’

‘miss john’

‘industrial’

‘hats off’

‘whats the rush’

‘take the train’