"A man’s ambition must be small to leave his name on a shithouse wall.” Maser lad, this doesn't apply to you.
By now you’ll have noticed that we’re fans of street art, and in particular a figure that goes by the name of Maser. We’ve covered pieces of his that have appeared around the city in the guise of his project with Damien Dempsey, his pieces at the Bernard Shaw and appearances at Oxegen. So I couldn’t help but grin when I spotted this in The Hophouse on Parnell Street the other week. I’m not sure if he is still tagging on bathroom walls, but when you consider Banksy pieces are selling for millions worldwide, with councils knocking end walls off houses with murals on them to flog to American arthouses, maybe I should have pulled this jacks roll dispenser off the wall. Could be worth a bomb some day…
The Hophouse. An institution in itself.
Himself and Damo might like this next pic, someones birthday cake from last week, I’m sure he won’t mind me putting it up here. All I can say is, his parents have great taste.
Love your cake today
Click on the book for more.
Click on the book for more.
Donal
Ciarán
Sam
Come Here To Me! 
The reason Banksy pieces sell for so much is because when he first emerged his style was truly original, not only this but the spread of locations they appeared in added to the mystery surrounding him. In my view, Maser has little original style. He has great execution but few ideas. Prime example being the Damien Dempsey series (another supremely overrated artist). I don’t mean to be so negative, I think he does great job of brightening up this city. But this Irish attitude which raises artists up on a pedestal is damaging to artists and the art alike. We glorify mediocrity in many of our art forms, for artists this comfort suffocates ambition. I think it would be much more beneficial to Irish art if we were not afraid to offer some constructive criticisms. Perhaps the blogger is not a huge authority on street art, that’s fine, but I would encourage you to research artists like Specter, Brad Downey, the late Lignes Rouges, Victor Ash etc. This kind of street art puts the work of Maser in perspective. I’m not saying he is inferior, he is just less developed. Before becoming a commercial entity I would encourage him to step back and examine his ideas, challenge himself and progress and develop as an artist. Lastly, I don’t mean to comment here to blast you. I commend you for opening up an outlet representative of different aspects of the city, but do not feel the need to comment with your own true opinions or criticisms – it is more refreshing, honest and genuine.
X
“but do not feel the need to align in agreement, comment with your own true opinions or criticisms – it is more refreshing, honest and genuine.” I shall step back and examine my syntax.
Lee
Get a life
If you don’t mean to be negative then why then proceed to be so.
If you’ve nothing nice to say then keep quiet.
Regards,
Everyone
Monsieur Lee, so many words, I wish I had time to put together a fitting reply…! The comparison between Banksy and Maser’s art being worth millions some day was tongue in cheek. We all have huge respect for both Damien Dempsey and Maser on this blog, not alone for their art. Where you call Damien Dempsey over-rated, I would ask have you ever sat and listened to his music right through or is this an opinion based on a couple of tracks overheard by chance? Lyrically, I find the man to be amongst the freshest and most original to come out of Dublin for a long time. Maser similarly. I’ve a lot of time for both of these artists, for what they do extends beyond their art, each reaching out to the community, as with their recent collaboration. Whats not to like about that? I’d rather not spend my time critiquing a critic, rather promote artists who are actually out there doing something. Maser and Damo? hXci loves you.
Oh, and Dom? +1 lad.
“Get a life”
“If you’ve nothing nice to say then keep quiet.”
Shot.Self.Foot.
Dom, do you not think that’s quite an oppressive statement, am I not entitled to my opinion? And you represent “everyone” do you? My god.
hXci, I completely understand what you’re saying on the community level, and that is undoubtedly a huge factor in a lot of peoples affection for certain artists. I have seen Damo live a number of times and stand by my opinion. It is only my opinion, and I think there is room for everyones. If I didn’t agree, I wouldn’t read this blog. However, I think we both seem to view these artists from different perspectives. As an artist myself, I view substance on quite an intense level and try to study content without attached influence for complete objectivity. It is in that context that I commented and where my views come from. Unlike Dom, I think it’s healthy to air opinions and engage in discussion. It’s democratic is it not?
X
Monsieur Lee, I don’t think we’re going to agree here, we’ve obviously got different opinions and tastes, hopefully theres other things here to take your interest…!
Monsieur Lee can u show us a link to your art so we can give our opinion? Come on now, we all want to be democratic here? Show us your wear so we can see what youve based your judgement on.
Let’s face it Damo Dempsey is good fun but not at the races compared to pervious top Dublin folk