MIAMI, FL.- Graffiti Gone Global, presented by SUSHISAMBA, will take place December 4-6th, 2009 during Art Basel Miami Beach. Curated by James and Karla Murray, authors of best-selling titles Store Front-The Disappearing Face of New York, Miami Graffiti, Broken Windows and Burning New York, the exhibition will feature a selection of work from today’s top street artists. This groundbreaking exhibition, set to take place in a 4,000 square foot venue in the Midtown Arts District, will be the largest of its kind in Miami. The opening VIP preview will take place on Thursday, December 3, 2009 from 7 PM to 9 PM at 3252 NE 1st Ave, Suite 101, Miami, FL 33127.

Exhibiting artists include: 131 Projects (Argentina), Aiko Nakagawa (Japan), Armogedon 2057 (Armenia), Billi Kid (Colombia), Crome (Miami), Cycle (NYC), Doze Green (NYC), Ewok One 5MH (NYC), Ghost aka Cousin Frank (NYC), Lady Pink (Ecuador), Nina (Brazil), Shiro (Japan), Sofia Maldonado (Puerto Rico), Suiko (Japan) and Vitché & Jana Joana (Brazil).

Reaching beyond the typical white walls of an art fair, SUSHISAMBA has commissioned Miami-based architect HOX (Douglas Hoekzema) to design a sprawling, Brazilian-inspired favela structure for Graffiti Gone Global. HOX’s exhibition design consists of interlocking components of wood and steel that may be detached and sold as separate units, some of which will bear a signature graffiti piece. In addition, custom furniture designed by the several of the participating artists will be available for purchase.

Shimon Bokovza, concept developer of SUSHISAMBA restaurants, Sugarcane Lounge and Graffiti Gone Global, along with partners Danielle Billera and Matt Johnson, has consistently demonstrated his support for street artists. In addition to producing and underwriting previous exhibitions such as GINZATROPICALIA, he has commissioned site-specific street art in SUSHISAMBA restaurants throughout the country. The recently opened Sugarcane Lounge in Las Vegas, NV features work from Brazilian artist “FLIP” Felipe Yung.

“Bringing art to SUSHISAMBA is something that is a natural evolution in our whole concept and experience,” said Bokovza. “We would only call upon the best talent to execute a dream that was sparked with the inception of Art Basel.”

James & Karla Murray
For the last 15 years, married authors and photographers, James and Karla Murray have been documenting the streets of New York and Miami, publishing three best-selling books on the graffiti scene, Miami Graffiti (Prestel Publishing 2009), Broken Windows (Gingko Press 2002) and Burning New York (Gingko Press 2006). Faithfully documenting the generations-old stores and shops of New York’s neighborhoods resulted in their critically acclaimed book, STORE FRONT-The Disappearing Face of New York released by Gingko Press in 2009. Their photographs and articles have appeared in numerous publications, including The New York Times, Rolling Stone, Stern, Mass Appeal, and Time Out New York. James and Karla Murray were also the subjects of numerous documentary programs, “Around Town with Cat Greenleaf” on WNBC TV in May 2009, “NY Style” and “NY Streets” on NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation) in April 2009 and February 2007.