Photos by Amanda McCorquodale

​On the cusp of Baselphrenia, the sad truth is that all this contemporary art mania drowns out the talented pool of local artists. So pay homage to Miami's creatives with a visit to the gigantic Francisco Locastro mural on 36th Street and NW Third Avenue. This year, the TM Sisters (Natasha and Monica Lopez de Victoria) have hosted the Groslch G-Spot public art tour and have video work on display at O Cinema for "Everyday Charms." Make sure you pay your respects to the homegrown scene in between gawking at Damien Hirsts, Andy Warhols, and Tracey Emins.

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Cultist talked to the graffiti artist who helped Nicki get trippy

​Miami muralist and graphic designer, Jason Seife, linked up with Big Sean and Nicki Minaj to paint the background for their extra bootylicious  "Dance (Ass) Remix." The jam is right up to date with the latest Big Freedia guide-to-twerkin. And the video directors, Mike Waxx and Mike Carson, needed visuals just as fresh.

The duo had worked with Seife before on their ILLROOTS website. But it wasn't until they saw a piece he had done featuring a majestic gold lion that they started to see the creative light.

We shot Seife some questions to get the scoop on the creative process and just how inspired he was by Nicki Minaj's badonk. More >>

Photos by Amanda McCorquodale

​Art Basel Miami Beach is the time of year our city's street art is replenished with new work. That Hanged Banker mural by Above next to I-95 replaced this graffing pin-up girls piece. We're excited to see the new stuff but also a little sad that some of our favorites might soon be gone. Consider the above by Lima artists Pesimo, Jade, and Entes -- it's one of three murals they painted for last year's Basel. It's on 25th Street between NW First and NW Second avenues. Go see it before it floats on to Wynwood street art heaven.
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Photos by Amanda McCorquodale

​We veered east of North Miami Avenue in Wynwood this week to track down street art in the few block towards the railroad tracks. Although it's not as wallpapered with paint as the blocks to the west, we stumbled upon a trifecta of awesome murals at Northeast First Avenue and 28th Street. A holdover from Basel season 2010, the above was painted by New York street artist Fumero. To see pictures of The Grandpa is progress, see his blog. What does it take to create a two-story abuelo? Thirteen hours, a motorized lift, and plenty of Skittles-colored paint. More >>

Franco Folini's Flicrk

Looking down is looking up.

​Miami boasts a vibrant art scene with Art Basel and the Wynwood Art District. But most locals know the true art lies just beneath our shoes. With the recent completion of the Biscayne Boulevard resurfacing project, our sidewalks have come alive with dog walkers, health enthusiasts, cyclists, hobos, and people trying to avoid eye contact with hobos.

While taking a stroll one will witness the beauty of sidewalk art, slated to surely become Miami's next underground (but actually above-ground) art craze. Here are five of our favorites:
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Photos by Amanda McCorquodale

​There's plenty going on over at NW 25th Street in Wynwood. This sprawling mural involves a possible Che, a topless Frida Kahlo, gorillas, Donnie Darko-style bunny heads, and Tim Burton-esque ghouls. More >>

Screenshot of All City Street Art app

​There's a new Bansky phone app, which provides an interactive map and profile of nearby Banksy street art. And while we don't (officially) have any Banksy's in Miami, if there was ever a town in need of a street art guide app, it's the 305. Yes, there are occasional graffiti tours like this Vespa one from Roam Rides. But we ain't the type to sign up for guided tours. We prefer to stumble across culture on our terms -- that is, in an informed haphazard way.

We did some sleuthing and uncovered a street art app from Bushwick called All City Street Art, which has been endorsed by graffiti aficionados over at Juxtapose. Except when we paid the $1.99 and downloaded the app, a search for Miami-area street art produced a mere dozen works where there should be hundreds.More >>

Photos by Amanda McCorquodale

​Yes, we know this mural on NW Second Avenue and 24th Street has been there since Art Basel 2010. But there's not a lot of new street art going on right now lest the cans explode in this heat. Plus when everyone piles into Wynwood each month for Art Walk, this mural is usually hidden behind some arepa truck. And finally, we hope that this series from L.A. artists inspires local visionaries to get a jump start on Miami's high season and apply new paint to Miami's blank walls. As always, send artist names and tips to cultist@miaminewtimes.com. More >>

We got our eye on you, New York Times.

​And to think some people continue to look up to the New York Times (even after that whole Jayson Blair unpleasantness). Even with legions of Casey Anthonys cavorting in our midst, it turns out the Gray Lady is still of the mindset that graffiti is evil and worthy of entire anti-graffiti units in police departments. The online edition of the paper published a story earlier this week with the apocalyptic headline "Cities Report Surge in Graffiti." Oh, no. Hide the women and children. Apologies to Bill Murray, but what's next? Dogs and cats living together?

The story, penned by Adam Nagourney, opens with a Santa Monica, California timeline and goes on to reintroduce a topic we thought was pretty much dead: graffiti as the scourge of cities across America. More >>

Tes One

Inside Out.

​Speed and efficiency have always been components of graffiti that shaped the art form -- artists  frequently risked vandalism charges, so it was critical that murals be painted as quickly as possible during fly-by-night operations. That led to some of the key elements of graffiti such as long lines and letters that flow into each other. But now that street art has found legitimate space on commissioned spaces and even gallery walls, it's interesting to see what graffiti artists are capable of when they have all the time in the world.

Case in point: Tes-One, a Florida artist who mixes traditional techniques with graphic design in large-scale works that contrast nature and technology. New Times spoke to the artist, exhibiting this weekend at "The Pop Up," a retrospective of Graffiti Gone Global's annual show to be displayed at ArtCenter's Lincoln Road Gallery.More >>