Jules de Balincourt, painter and the owner of Starr Space in Bushwick, good-naturedly quips, "I hope I don't look too grey next to all the young people," referring to the group portrait. He needn't worry. At 37, de Balincourt may be the oldest in this particular bunch but his boundless energy and talent are ageless. It wouldn't be too much of a stretch to call him the "Mayor of Bushwick," once a scrappy neighborhood, now in transition thanks to the burgeoning art scene, where he has lived and worked since 2000 (except for the two-year exile in Williamsburg). De Balincourt initially bought the Starr Space building to use as a studio in 2006, the summer before he was included in the much-talked-about "USA Today" show at The Saatchi Gallery. "It was originally a dance hall and marionettes theater in the '40s, then became a daycare center in the '70s and '80s. I realized the space was so conducive as a public space," says de Balincourt as he traces the venue's history. "Our very first event was a ping pong tournament. Since then, we've had over 40 local church parties, countless -- sometimes painful -- dance performances, animal rights punk shows and Obama benefits." Oh, and let's not forget the yoga classes and the farmers' markets.
[top] "Malpais Bad Lands," 2008
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