ICY & SOT "LET HER BE FREE"

Ten years in the making, hundreds of stencils cut, and thousands of miles travelled, brothers ICY and SOT invite you to come celebrate the release of “LET HER BE FREE”, their first full color printed collection of photographs and their personal history as aspiring and successful Street Artists. The brand new volume traces ICY and SOT’s evolution as street artists and as fervently-collected contemporary artists from their beginning as skateboarding teens in Tabriz, Iran to moving to Brooklyn, New York and travelling and exhibiting internationally.
In this very short time ICY and SOT have established a recognizable, influential and activist voice on the global street art stage. They have contributed to Iranian and international urban art culture through their striking stencil work that addresses social and political issues close to their hearts such as human rights, environmental justice, migration, gun violence, rampant capitalism, the ravages of war, and homelessness. Their work has appeared in doorways, windows and on walls and galleries throughout Iran, the US, Germany, China, Norway, Italy, and elsewhere – effectively transcending their history of artistic and political censorship.
In tandem with the release of “LET HER BE FREE”, a name derived from the iconic stencil portrait on the books cover, ICY and SOT are launching an exclusive new exhibition of small and mid-scale stencil artworks on paper, vintage book covers, and materials found on the street. Many of the original artworks are reprised images previously only seen on the street or in photos in the book and span the decade from 2006-2016. These 50 original works have been created exclusively for the launch of the book and this collection will not to be seen together in this way again.
ICY (born 1985) and SOT (born 1991) are stencil artists from Tabriz, Iran, currently residing in Brooklyn, New York. At the opening on July 23rd ICY and SOT will be signing copies of the new book, which features an introduction by filmmaker and poet Jess X Chen and an afterword by Jaime Rojo and Steven P. Harrington, founders of the influential art site Brooklyn Street Art and weekly urban art columnists on The Huffington Post for six years.
“You’re going to love this book launch and exhibit. Imagine the visual story of these brothers playing out before you in one complete collection of stark, often powerful, images across the wall,” says Harrington of the show. “You’ll witness the evolution of young Street Artists who have learned from their heroes, fought to develop their own style, kept their integrity, and persevered with their own distinctive voice during often rough and particularly challenging conditions.”
“The ultimate urban warriors, ICY and SOT’s one-two combo punch of art and social concerns speaks loud and clear. Deeply rooted, and which first blossomed on the streets of Iran, the art of these brothers-in-arms provokes the imagination, raising questions and awareness, and stirs a growing call to action,” says John Fekner, American stencil art pioneer.
“These wise brothers call attention to a gaping gash in the side of humanity. Slowly stitching together torn fragments of human stories, Icy and Sot gives awareness to the flaws of our political systems and the way that impacts individual lives,” says South African Street Artist Faith47.

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