Urban Art Association

Taken from Lazarides website. This abstract may be the most you will find. Hope this helps.

BÄST is the quintessential artist representing Brooklyn, New York. He is also one of the few pivotal figures in the international street art movement to retain a considerable degree of anonymity. Indeed, it is often debated whether he really exists or may be a pseudonym for a side project by another major artist. Without wishing to dispel any enigmatic spell this may cast, we can confirm that he is an individual artist working in a relatively conventional manner.

BÄST's first works, wheat-pasted posters assembled from media clippings then standardised on a photocopier and a screen printing bed, appeared alongside those of the New York-based collective FAILE in the early 2000s. While BÄST's art is comparable to FAILE's in that it bastardises the pop culture aesthetic to create more complex, personal and stimulating imagery, BÄST's own pieces are rougher and hard-edged. They use existing imagery to create uncompromising compositions, in stark contrast to FAILE's personal artworks which aspire to the populist appeal of mass media. His "palette" is diverse and esoteric, including characters from the golden age of animation, the homespun iconography of New York's independent fast food stores, and glossy lifestyle magazines pre-dating the era of street style. Facial portraits of imagined characters are the most regular outcome of this process, for instance in Video Six and Big Face. He is lauded both for the distinct, uncompromising nature of his art in an arena swamped with derivative work, and his deft, hands-on application of intricate collage.

The artist's exhibitions are rare but attract a great deal of attention. His first solo show, Those Bloody Yanks, was held at Los Angeles' New Image Art in 2007; his most recent exhibition with Lazarides, Scenario Del Rio took place at The Outsiders Newcastle in 2011. A collaboration with FAILE, The Deluxx Fluxx Arcade showed at The Outsiders London in 2010. One of the landmark exhibitions in the urban art movement, it featured playable unique arcade machines designed and embellished by the artists. A solo show, Botulism, took place at Lazarides Rathbone the same year.

Nice little interview here where Bast explains the origins of his street name:

Vaga Interview

Contact George over at Allouche Galleey in NYC. He know Bast fairly well.

"Elements" could equally encompass those that are simply going to rip it off to sell - so better off in the home of a Bast collector

Thanks to everyone with this, especially greekboy. Some very useful links which my son is using for his art project. Always wanted to know why he used Basto as well as Bast.

The information in the previously-posted link to VAGA magazine is helpful because it's direct from the horse's mouth. Likewise with the Beyond the Street interview, although here it's necessary to declare having a dog in the fight.

More generally, however, unless comfortable giving credence to urban myths and unverifiable biography snippets, caution is advised if the idea is to (i) take what's available online about Bast's history and (ii) present this as accurate.

The reason there's little correct, unadulterated information on Bast in the public domain is that he chooses it to be this way. Like Blu, Banksy, Insect, and what seems to be an ever-decreasing number of others, this is someone who values his privacy. Third parties with loose lips may easily be attention-seeking rumour-mongers, bullshítters, collaborative disinformers, or people betraying the artist's trust.

So there is no sound way of separating fact from fiction with Bast. Even details offered by his dealers should be considered potentially suspect. Planted red herrings and myth-making have clear purposes and benefits, none of which are related to spreading the truth.

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Plenty of other graffiti writers and street artists actively seek the spotlight. Those desperate for validation and recognition are often more than happy to overshare. A few could be described as emotionally incontinent. Therefore, if accuracy is a priority, it may be simpler to pick another artist for the school project.

An alternative is to shift emphasis: Rather than citing and perpetuating what may be unreliable information about Bast, focus instead on the uncertainty regarding his background. Make the conflicting, and shortage of, available biographical material one of the subject matters and topics of interest.