Tuesday, May 24, 2022

Tuesday's parting shot

The motorcycle mural by David Flores here on the Bowery and Houston has been completely covered...

Updated 5/25

Thanks to the readers pointing us to the statement by Jessica Goldman Srebnick, co-chair of Goldman Properties and curator of this wall. Here's part of an Instagram post from yesterday:
The creative process is an utter joy to watch. Filling a fire extinguisher with paint and spraying to destroy a work of art is not talent. It is sad and not only ruins the opportunity for countless artists, it ruins the opportunity for a neighborhood to live with glorious world-class art. The Houston Bowery wall could be just another advertising wall, but we’d prefer it to be a powerful beacon of the best of a movement.

For now, we don’t wish to wipe away what’s been done, we are simply taking a break...

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

It's an improvement from a motorcycle.

XTC said...

Of all the iterations of the god awful motorcycle thing I think I prefer H O O L I G A N the best. This one needs more pink.

noble neolani said...

This wall is nothing more than gentrification with public art and promotes "safe" "tourist friendly" bland "art" When you hear or read these words "world-class" what you are really reading is "not for those that live here but for those who will live here soon". De Blasio said the East River Park with be "world-class" in 5-10 when it is complete. It will be well used by those living in luxury glass towers where public housing now stands.

MrNiceGuy said...

You really can't make this stuff up! A property owner donates very valuable signage space to artists to do custom installations.... and the EVGrumps cry "gentrification" and "tourist friendly"? Unreal.

I've always enjoyed the installations on the wall. Like everything in the art world, sometimes it's to my taste and other times it's not. But it beats the heck out of a DKNY billboard. Thanks to the property owner for having the fortitude to try to keep it going. Hopefully the near-constant tagging recently doesn't turn this space into another ad.

Anonymous said...

Nothing last forever … especially out in the public streets . That mural by David Flores had its time . Now for something new . I do street art myself and it’s the way of the streets . If people can’t connect with it it usually doesn’t last to long . Hence corporate commercial murals getting taken out so fast always by graffiti .

Anonymous said...

I can't believe it for once i agree with Mr Nice Guy!

Anonymous said...

I like the evolution of this wall. That's the nature of street art. I love all the murals, but they have lifespans and when the tags go up, it just means it's time for a new mural and I look forward to that. We used to have a lot more organically evolving art all over the streets, especially in Soho. Now this is one of the few spots to catch something big and different.

ModusL1ST said...

@MrNiceGuy keep jocking the real estate barrons and grovel at their feet for "donating" a wall thats on stolen land. Cant wait to see more folks drop fills and extinguisher tags on it and every wall across the city

Anonymous said...

If it does we will continue to Tag over the ad duhhh