Kenny Scharf On the Past, Present and Future of Street Art

Rising to popularity in the 1980s in New York City's interdisciplinary East Village art scene alongside peers like Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat —and with Warhol as a mentor— Kenny Scharf was a pioneer of the street art movement, born out of the dynamic energy of the city, which he translated into a bold, vibrantly colored visual universe. Combining elements of the urban landscape, Pop art, graffiti and cartoon aesthetics, Scharf created a uniquely whimsical world of characters that humorously captures the forces and personalities that animated New York's streets, often highlighting the distinct voices of its various neighborhoods. Now an upcoming show at the Brant Foundation pays homage to Scharf's art and style, with a focus on how his artistic journey has been so deeply intertwined with New York's history and development.

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Yes. I often question how everything exists at the same time: happiness, peace, joy, death and destruction. We are all living on this planet together; everything is happening at the same time. I wonder how this is possible for so many different realities to exist at once. In recent history, we have been bombarded with a constant influx of images of these various realities, yet we continue amid all the noise.

You were an active part of the East Village scene in the '80s. What's your relationship with the neighborhood today, and how do you feel it has changed?

New York, especially downtown, will always be home to me as my young stomping grounds for discovery and artistic adventure with all of my cohorts. I have a story and memory for almost every street. As with everything and everywhere, things have changed. I avoid being nostalgic and live in the present, yet I am proud and grateful for my history.

As one of street art's pioneers, how do you view it today? How have you seen it evolve and change?

The whole evolution of street art and graffiti, like hip-hop music, has taken on new levels internationally. We knew it was exciting in the early days, but it was hard to imagine how big it would become. It's kind of incredible to see the influence of that time on the culture of today's youth. It is worldwide and powerful.