This past weekend, someone defaced David Choe's week-old canvas on the Bowery Mural Wall.
BoweryBoogie reported that the vandalism was due "to past comments made on [Choe's] podcast bragging about an alleged sexual encounter with a masseuse in 2014." Choe later claimed that his confession was simply "bad storytelling in the style of douche." Regardless, as BoweryBoogie put it, "Critics have been accusing him of rape ever since."
Hyperallergic published an op-ed last week titled "How the New Bowery Wall Commission Puts Rape Culture on Display."
The "BTM" tag on the wall is apparently the work of Big Time Mafia. It's unclear if their message is related to Choe's past or general disdain for the wall, owned by Goldman Properties, and/or Choe's work.
Another tag on the wall last week was more explicit...
Someone spray painted "rapist" on David Choe's new mural earlier today! pic.twitter.com/Td3qNH9QMc
— Bucky Turco (@buckyturco) June 6, 2017
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Updated 6/14
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And this wasn't the first time that someone has tagged/bombed/defaced the work up on the Bowery Mural Wall in recent years. A sampling includes:
Logan Hicks last September...
Swoon in January in January 2014...
Maya Hayuk's criss-cross mural in February 2014...
Kenny Scharf multiple times in early 2011...
Shepard Fairey in July 2010...
...and Fairey in May 2010...
The bottom part of the mural was eventually ripped to shreds...
10 comments:
American graffiti, especially on the east coast, is total garbage nowadays. Go to any foreign country and the taggers actually put some thought and skill into their work. Here, it's just shitty bubble letters, and/or tagging your moniker. Tagging over swoon's mural especially pisses me off. Bring back the Giuliana era SNL skit!
I seen a hotel on Lafayette further down Soho that has a collage of pictures of tagged walls in various locations. Upon close inspection there were actual tags on there plus stickers. It looks like management decided to leave it on there for authenticity.
I guess the point is that you put "acceptable" graffiti sanctioned by a corporation or even the city, it's going to be violated by taggers no matter what. Especially in this era of "street art" which has become a marketing gimmick for the gentrification/real estate industrial complex.
The tagging on this shitty mural and that other lame ass faux commie one by Fairey deserved to get ruined. The guy who kept drawing dicks on the latter restored my faith in humanity.
And a good question is: why are mostly men being allowed to paint on the wall? Is it that most artists are men? (I think not.)
I don't get what the fuss is about, this famous graffiti wall get's free graffiti along with the paid for kind. It's like feeding the Robins and getting pissed off when the pigeons show up to eat too. This particular painting was hideous (to me) and this bro "artist" should try to make amends for his Trump-esqe comments about forcing a masseuse to perform a sex act on him. Whether it happened the way he told it or not the rapist tag was bound to happen sooner or later.
"And a good question is: why are mostly men being allowed to paint on the wall? Is it that most artists are men? (I think not.)"
Because women have better things to do, like raising the next generation ... oh wait, no they're not. Hmm. Yeah, you got me on this one.
In related news, a baby shit its diaper and smeared feces on the wall.
The world of fine art/big money art grosses me out. I am probably not alone.
A simple search online will provides a LONG history of misogynistic, offensive and "rape culture" statements made by David Choe in public forums, interviews and online postings. Public art is supposed to be a benefit to the communities in which is it is shown. Supporting David Choe and normalizing his public boasts of sexual assault against women is irresponsible and harmful to our society as it perpetuates rape culture. Choe may get big art commissions, he may be rich, he may be a celebrity. However, he is an inappropriate choice for public art in our community. The Bowery Mural Wall is a project of the corporate Goldman Properties. They have been irresponsible in presenting a public art project by Choe in our neighborhood. Choe's offensive actions and comments should not be supported or normalized but should be condemned. I'm not advocating censorship of his art, but in my opinion he is an inappropriate choice for a public art project in our community. Wouldn't we rather see projects by artists who have something constructive and positive to contribute? There is more coverage of this developing controversy at Boweryboogie.com.
Defaced? How could they tell? (Apologies to Calvin Coolidge and Dorothy Parker)
Protest event June 18th: The Bowery Mural, currently home to a controversial work by street artist David Choe, will be the site of an anti-rape protest and performance art piece titled “NO MEANS NO” on Sunday, June 18, 5 - 5:30pm.
The NO MEANS NO protest is being organized by Jasmine What of Gateway Project Spaces of Newark. “This piece is intended to examine examples of violent and predatory misogyny,” reads the Facebook invite to the protest event.
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