The past two weeks have been epic for street art and the Bay Area. Banksy swept SF (plus a further piece was discovered), and last Saturday saw the opening of the 5733 store in Oakland while on the very same night White Walls held an opening for legendary street artist Blek le Rat. (Blek is seen as the foremost stencil artist, preceding Banksy.) While Warholian got the 411 on Blek, we teleported to Oakland and got a serious case of Bay Area pride at 5733.
If 5733 doesn’t sound familiar, then the work of artists known as “Eddie Colla” might look familiar. Notorious for the “Just Married”, “Everything I Know About Stealing I Learned In Oakland” and “No on h8: Love Ain’t the Problem” campaigns, their work is emblazoned on shirts, posters and hoodies in prime street art style, usually for sale in local festival settings such as SF Pride. With a loyal following and orders overflowing their online store growing their fan base, it made sense to finally expand to their sweet new digs in the Piedmont district of Oakland.
The opening was a packed success; treat yourself to the eye candy in our gallery of photos from the event. Photographs by Ben Metcalfe.
We won’t be visiting 5733 too regularly until engineers finally pave the Bay, but next time you’re across the bridge don’t miss one of the most strikingly decorated store interiors in the Bay Area. Find it at 4125 Piedmont Ave, 2nd Floor, Oakland. (510) 547-5733.
