joe iurato’s wooden street art miniatures narrate stories of urban life
all images courtesy of the artist

 

 

 

taking cues from his personal experiences, new jersey-based artist joe iurato unites old-fashioned printing processes with contemporary street art style for his series of urban interventions. the miniature figures he intricately carves range from guitar players to breakdancers, each subtly added to a city landscape and interacting within the scene.

 

the site-specific placements of the pieces often use the surrounding environment to complete their narratives — a puddle acts as the pool of water for which a man in a small wooden boat solemnly sits; explorers with suitcases and backpacks walk along a railroad line; a young boy scribbles the words ‘small world’ onto the edge of a sidewalk. each stenciled composition comprises spray paint and a wooden cut-out, creating texture and form for each painted personality. the ongoing series, which has seen interventions blend into new york city streets and seaside landscapes, seeks to tell a story of each character’s everyday life in their surrounding environment, narrating a small piece of urban existence.

joe iurato adds miniature hand cut paper stencils to NYC streets
‘blues brook’

joe iurato adds miniature hand cut paper stencils to NYC streets
‘wind chill factor’

joe iurato adds miniature hand cut paper stencils to NYC streets
‘daybreak’

joe iurato adds miniature hand cut paper stencils to NYC streets
‘danimal and the mad lion’

joe iurato adds miniature hand cut paper stencils to NYC streets
‘sign’

joe iurato adds miniature hand cut paper stencils to NYC streets
‘the vast suburban tundra and an oncoming firebird’

joe iurato adds miniature hand cut paper stencils to NYC streets
‘JK’

joe iurato adds miniature hand cut paper stencils to NYC streets
‘mode rips marine stadium’

joe iurato adds miniature hand cut paper stencils to NYC streets
‘miss john’

joe iurato adds miniature hand cut paper stencils to NYC streets
‘industrial’

joe iurato adds miniature hand cut paper stencils to NYC streets
‘hats off’

joe iurato adds miniature hand cut paper stencils to NYC streets
‘whats the rush’

joe iurato adds miniature hand cut paper stencils to NYC streets
‘take the train’