A new corner of the 'Star Wars' galaxy

EVG contributor Stacie Joy spotted local artist-illustrator Rich Miller starting on a new mural on the NE corner of Seventh Street and Avenue C. 

And a sneak preview of what's to come... a work that includes Grogu, aka Baby Yoda...

Thursday's parting shot

New on Houston at the Bowery (SW corner)... wheatepaste of China's President Xi Jinping by DeGrupo... (shades of)

Highlighting 'Free The Nipple Day' on Avenue A

Photo by Stacie Joy

New outside 50 Avenue A between Third Street and Fourth Street ... local artist Jim Tozzi with Bert's Tit, one of his regular characters through the years. 

Here's more about the work via an Instagram post by wall curator The Lisa Project: 

Happy Women's History Month 2023. This year we wanted to spotlight the now decade-old "Free The Nipple" campaign created by the multitalented artist/actor, equal rights activist, and snappy dresser Ms. Lina Esco. As "Free The Nipple Day" is Sunday 3/26/23. 

To celebrate we tasked Street and Sticker Artist Jim Tozzi to paint his brilliant work. His funny culture-mashing take on an iconic character, "Bert's Tit" was the perfect way to keep body equality in the conversation. 

But at the end of the day, we hope it makes you smile, laugh and remember a woman's body is hers, and hers alone…

The eyes have it

Photos by Stacie Joy 

We spotted Jappy Agoncillo working on this new mural yesterday outside the Ridge Hotel on Houston at Eldridge...

... featuring Best Actress Michelle Yeoh in "Everything Everywhere All at Once." 

Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert's absurd multiverse comedy, which is still playing in several EV theaters, won seven Oscars. Kwan and Scheinert won the directing category and best original screenplay. 

By the way... Kwan's mother, June Kwan, is an owner of Spicy Moon, the vegan Szechuan restaurant at 328 E. Sixth St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue (read more in this article at Vulture).

A new era for the old Bad Pussies wall on 3rd Street and Avenue B

Photos by Stacie Joy 

On Saturday, Italian muralists Jorit and Tukios started a new project on the SW corner of Third Street and Avenue B — outside Mama's Bar...

Here's a look yesterday at the final mural of Talib Kweli and Mos Def (Yasiin Bey) — aka Black Star...

The two had permission from the building's owner to do this mural (it was not commissioned) ... which replaces the longstanding Bad Pussies mural that had been nearly tagged out of existence. 

While visiting NYC, Jorit and Tukios have kept busy, creating murals of KRS-One on Second Street at First Avenue and Malcolm X in First Street Green Art Park ... as well as Muhammad Ali on Sixth Street at First Avenue...

Wednesday's parting shot

Photo by Steven 

New mural on St. Mark's Place, south side between Avenue A and First Avenue — "Punk Is Not Dead" by Miki Mu...

Tuesday's parting shot

Photo by Steven 

The latest mural, courtesy of Steve the Bum, outside the Second Avenue F stop at Houston...

Jorit Agoch brings photorealistic murals of Malcolm X and KRS-One to the East Village

Jorit Agoch, the Italian street artist, has created two of his hyper-realistic murals in the neighborhood. 

Above, Malcolm X in First Street Green Art Park. 

And below, a work in progress of KRS-One on Second Street at First Avenue (via East Village Walls) ...

And a photo of the artist by Stacie Joy...

Per Wide Open Walls: 

Jorit has started to mark his portraits with two red lines or scars on the cheek that refer to ancient African rituals, like scarification. This ritual indicates the passing from childhood to adult age. Jorit is firmly convinced that the differences of race, gender, religion and social class do not mean anything with respect to the characteristics that are similar in all human beings, and give us our shared humanity. 

H/T Steven for the initial KRS-One mural pic

The Duck With the Pearl Earring

New work, as of yesterday, by Jim Tozzi (seen below) outside the Second Avenue F stop...

Thanks to Steven for the photo!

A happy birthday mural for Ray on Avenue A

Photos by Stacie Joy 

In honor of Ray’s 90th birthday this month, the folks behind the East Village-based Lisa Project surprised the proprietor of Ray's Candy Store today with this colorful new mural by Peach Tao outside 50 Avenue A between Third Street and Fourth Street.

Later, Ray was brought from the shop to check out the new artwork in person...

In 2019, Tao updated the Ray's sign outside the shop at 113 Avenue A at Seventh Street.

Bad Brains on the Bowery with Shepard Fairey and Glen E. Friedman

Photos and reporting by Daniel Efram

Five-plus years after debuting the Blondie mural on Bleecker Street, Shepard Fairey, in collaboration with the Lisa Project NYC and Glen E. Friedman (below right), has completed a new mural in tribute to Bad Brains.

The mural, located directly across the street from CBGB at the Bowery and Bleecker, honors the D.C. band that broke new ground during the 1970s and 80s with its hard prototypical reggae-punk. 

Bad Brains also helped pay tribute to the club that championed its unique sounds by performing a trio of goodbye shows in 2006. Additionally, the location is special to Fairey as his first NYC solo art shows took place at the CBGB 313 Gallery, then curated by Jonathan Levine.

Friedman, the acclaimed East Village-based photographer known for his work with cultural icons, skaters and musicians, including some of Fairey's favorite artists, such as Public Enemy and Run-DMC, provided the photographs that Fairey compiled for the large-format piece.

"All of the photos in the collage were made at CBGB during the holidays in 1981 or 1982," Friedman says. "The Bad Brains annual Xmas matinees became a great thing for all us punks who didn't care or didn't have a place to be during the holidays. We'd all go and congregate there and see some of the best shows of our lives."

The mural's location was secured by the Lisa Project, a program dedicated to beautifying the community via mural art. Several members of the public had grown attached to the Blondie mural and wondered why it was being replaced. According to sources on the scene, the wall is supposed to be refreshed every three years but was delayed due to the COVID pandemic.

"After the Bad Brains left Washington, D.C., they moved to New York and were living here on the Lower East Side. They played CBGB a lot. In fact, their music came into its ultimate highest power when they were living and playing here," Fairey tells me about the project's roots in the East Village and Lower East Side community. 

"[They were] a defining band in terms of the sound of hardcore but a unique band in that they were all Black in a white genre," Fairey continues. "It's incredible to have Bad Brains get some love here because they have such a strong connection to NYC and CBGB. They recorded their first album at 171-A in Alphabet City." 

The four-person crew — (from the left) Fairey, Rob Zagula, Praxis and Osk — installed the mural on Monday and Tuesday ...

Here's a look at the elaborate work that took place this past week...

Daniel Efram is an East Village-based photographer-curator. He is the producer of "The Steve Keene Art Book."

Bye Bye Blondie; hello Bad Brains?

After five-plus years on Bleecker at the Bowery, the Blondie mural is no more... a worker painted over the space yesterday (by the newish J Crew). 

Our friend Alex took this photo (be sure to check out his site Flaming Pablum) ...

Shepard Fairy — in connection with The L.I.S.A. Project NYC — created this mural in August 2017, replacing the two-year-old Joey Ramone/CBGB mural.

Word is the space will give way to another CBGB favorite — Bad Brains. 

By the way, CBGB debuted on Dec. 10, 1973, across the way at 315 Bowery.

And now to 1982 with Bad Brains live at CBGB ...

 

This is no dream. This is really happening!

There's a great new Halloween-themed mural by BKFoxx up on the Third Street side of The Bean, 54 Second Ave. ... showing Mia Farrow from a scene in the 1968 horror classic "Rosemary's Baby." 

And the headline reference from the film.

Woman, Life, Freedom

New (completed this past Monday) in First Street Green Art Park... a tribute mural of Mahsa Amini by Lexi Bella

The 22-year-old Amini died last month after she was taken into custody by Iran's morality police for reportedly not wearing her hijab properly. 

You can read more about the mural here. 

Iranian security forces killed at least 23 children in the ensuing protests this past month, Amnesty International reports.

Saturday's opening shot

A recent arrival outside the Second Avenue F stop — "There's no crying in street art" ... a take on the Tom Hanks' quote from "A League of Their Own" — "There’s no crying in baseball." 

Mural by @sacsix

Wednesday's parting shot

New work in First Street Green Art Park... a collaboration between stencil-art legend Blek le Rat (@blekleratoriginal) and Tkid Alegend (@tkid170) ...

Blek has a new show at West Chelsea Contemporary on 10th Avenue through Sept. 25. 

Thursday's parting shots

Stencil-art legend Blek le Rat (@blekleratoriginal) created this tribute to his favorite artist, the "Shadow Man," Richard Hambleton, outside 50 Avenue A between Third Street and Fourth Street...

Blek has a new show starting tomorrow at West Chelsea Contemporary on 10th Avenue ... 

TY LISA Project NYC...

Sunday's opening shots

Photos by Stacie Joy

In-progress shots of a new mural by Bianca Romero at the Lower East Side People's Federal Credit Union on Avenue B at Third Street ... it will be finished soon... 

Pride outside the 2nd Avenue F stop

There's a new Pride Month mural — "Queer AF: Do Not Tread On Me" — outside the Second Avenue F stop... art by Rose Cory via @dustyrebel aka Daniel Albanese. Read more about his Queer Street Art documentary here.

A look at the just-finished mural 'Ukraine: A History in Solidarity'

Photos by Steven

Yesterday, Ukrainian-born artist Misha Tyutyunik finished his mural at the Citizens Bank branch on Ninth Street and Second Avenue.

Here's a look at the final work...

He started the piece, titled "Ukraine: A History in Solidarity," on Saturday... which included a public participation segment. Read our previous post for more details.