The Lower East Side Festival of the Arts returns for in-person events this weekend

The 26th annual Lower East Side Festival of the Arts takes place this weekend at the Theater for the New City, 155 First Ave. at 10th Street... and it will be in-person after last year's virtual proceedings. 

Expect to find a mix of theater, music, dance, comedy, poetry, film and fine arts indoors and out on Friday through Sunday. You can check out the extensive offerings at the Theater's website. 

The events are all free of charge. Theater officials have also noted the following about admission:

[S]adly, we cannot be as uninhibited and laissez-faire with our audience as usual. So, we must let you know that you WILL BE ASKED TO SHOW US YOUR VACCINATION CARD or a NEGATIVE COVID TEST NO MORE THAN FIVE DAYS OLD, IN ORDER TO BE ADMITTED! There will be masking and social distancing, and we will adhere to the most recent rules promulgated by the CDC, State and New York City.

In addition, TNC's Lobby Art Gallery is displaying the work of local artists...

Thanks to Lola Sáenz for the photos. Lola also has a work on display in the art show.

Wednesday's parting shots

Christo*****, the resident red-tailed hawk of Tompkins Square Park, road tripped to Fourth Street between Second Avenue and the Bowery today... where Derek Berg took these photos...

***** Hold on! Per Goggla, this may not actually be Christo! It is defintiely an adult red-tailed hawk... but this hawk has a molting tail, and Christo usually molts later in the summer. Perhaps it's one of the hawks from Washington Square Park... or an adult red-tail stranger... to be continued...

Moon struck

Well, we didn't get to enjoy the full-on effects of the Super Flower Blood Moon like in other parts of the world ... but the moon was pretty super last night. EVG reader Jeanne Krier shared this photo from last evening...

Unveiling the plaque in honor of Nicholas Figueroa and Moises Locón on 2nd Avenue

Workers yesterday installed the memorial plaque on the new residential building at 45 E. Seventh St. that pays tribute to Nicholas Figueroa and Moises Locón, the two men who died here during the gas explosion on March 26, 2015. (Top photo by Steven; photo below by Drew Heffron.)

We're told there will be an official unveiling this morning at 11. The plaque is on the Second Avenue side of the Morris Adjmi-designed building, where the residences range between $1.35 and $8 million.

Figueroa, 23, who had recently graduated from SUNY Buffalo State, was at Sushi Park, 121 Second Ave. and the site of the fatal blast, dining with a co-worker. Locón, 27, worked at Sushi Park.

The explosion also injured more than 20 others and leveled 119, 121 and 123 Second Ave. (The new building sits on two of these three lots.)

In January 2020, landlord Maria Hrynenko, contractor Dilber Kukic and unlicensed plumber Jerry Ioannidis were found guilty of manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide and related offenses for their role in the explosion. They were each sentenced to four to 12 years in prison. Hrynenko is out on bail as she awaits an appeal of the case.

Prosecutors said that Hrynenko, driven by greed, and her cohorts rigged an illegal system to funnel gas from 119 Second Ave. to 121 Second Ave. to save money.

In October 2017, city officials unveiled new street blades that co-name this northwest corner of Second Avenue and Seventh Street after Figueroa and Locón.

Previously on EV Grieve:
• RIP Nicholas Figueroa

• RIP Moises Locón

• Dedicating Moises Locón Way and Nicholas Figueroa Way on 2nd Avenue at 7th Street 

Opinion: Against Upzoning

Local Assemblymember Harvey Epstein wrote the following op-ed.

With the Soho/Noho Neighborhood Plan pushed by Mayor de Blasio stuck in legal limbo and mired by community opposition, it's time we reevaluate upzoning as a tool for creating affordable housing. 

In 2019, the Democratically controlled legislature partnered with advocates to pass the statewide Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act (HSTPA), the strongest tenant protection in decades. The bill closed many of the loopholes that led to a loss of affordable housing over the years preceding, especially in "high opportunity" neighborhoods in Manhattan. 

But now, the de Blasio approach of upzoning –– changing the existing zoning to allow for more height and density –– undermines the work we did to protect renters in the HSTPA by incentivizing the demolition of existing rent-regulated affordable housing, one of the few ways rent-regulated units can still be lost. 

Upzonings imperil small older apartment buildings, which suddenly become vulnerable to demolition when an upzoning incentivizes their replacement with new buildings two or three times the size or more. Older, smaller, affordable buildings could be replaced with new buildings required by mandatory inclusionary housing to offer rents as high as 75 percent market rate. It's unlikely many current tenants could afford a unit in the buildings that would be allowed due to an upzoning. 

Today, every day New Yorkers foot the bill for three units of luxury housing for every one unit of not very deeply affordable housing, often in wildly out-of-scale new buildings that may be replacing existing affordable housing and residents. It’s a bad deal for New Yorkers.

The need for a more affordable and equitable city is especially great right now, and every neighborhood needs to take part in that effort. We should eliminate as-of-right development and require all new residential developments to designate a greater than 25 percent share of units as affordable. Linking affordability and upzonings forces a false choice. Affordability shouldn't be dependent upon upzonings, which inherently endanger existing housing in neighborhoods, including affordable housing with longtime and often lower-income residents.

We should also be directly subsidizing and funding the construction of truly affordable housing in NYC that doesn't depend on the whims of the market and private for-profit developers all across the city, not just in less well-off neighborhoods.

With these policy changes, we can protect existing affordable housing, create new affordable housing, and do it in a way that’s compatible with neighborhood character and doesn't create a flood of new luxury housing that does more harm than good in terms of making our neighborhoods equitable, affordable, and diverse.

Assemblymember Harvey Epstein represents the 74th District, which includes parts of Manhattan's east side.

Gas service is restored at Pangea after 7 months

After seven months without gas for cooking — not to mention heat during the winter months — the service has been restored at Pangea, the restaurant-cabaret at 178 Second Ave. between 11th Street and 12th Street.

As previously reported, on Oct. 30, Pangea management entered the restaurant to discover that Con Ed had shut off their gas in the middle of the night. (A nearby resident was said to smell gas on the block. Although Con Ed didn't detect a leak, they went ahead and shut down the gas service to just the restaurant.)

In the ensuing months, Pangea's ownership was entangled in the time-consuming bureaucratic process that included scheduling inspections by the DOB, Con Ed and an assortment of plumbers. Local elected officials, including City Councilmember Carlina Rivera's office, had been helping navigate the red tape. However, complicating matters: an inspection showed that Pangea needed all new pipes before gas service could return. 

In the interim, Pangea owners Stephen Shanaghan and Arnoldo Caballero took action and bought electric cooking equipment and created a menu to fit their circumstances with the help of a new chef. 

In an update on their crowdfunding campaign earlier this year, Shanaghan noted:

Dealing with bureaucracy in normal times is a challenge. Being subjected to it during pandemic restrictions is immobilizing. 

We quickly reinvented and began operations using all-electric equipment. The process has been unnecessarily drawn out, costly and back-breaking.

He went on to thank Pangea's loyal patrons:

The only reason our doors are not shuttered is due to the tremendous support we have received from our extended family of customers, friends and artists. We are fortunate to have so many who believe in what Pangea stands for. Over the years, Pangea has become a second home to all. In more recent years, it has become an incubator for artistic expression in our performance space. All genres of music, theater, satire and comedy have been presented. 

Hopefully, things will continue to look up for Pangea. Aside from the restored gas service, they started to host limited-seating shows in the cabaret space... they are also hosting no-cover entertainment in the Piano Lounge in the front of the restaurant. (Check out their website for details on upcoming events.) And there's the recent return of Sunday brunch from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Pangea has a long history in the neighborhood. Read our interview with Shanaghan and Caballero here.  

Elected officials call for more rooftop oversight; details emerge about woman who fell from 202 Avenue A

Local elected officials are calling for more city oversight and increased landlord responsibility after a 24-year-old woman died from a fall while attending a rooftop party at 202 Avenue A early Saturday morning.

"This tragedy shows just how dangerous overcrowded or mismanaged rooftop parties have become, and how often they have little to no safety protections or monitoring," local City Councilmember Carlina Rivera said during a press conference on Sunday morning outside the building between 12th Street and 13th Street. "We will continue to pursue my legislation to ensure agency responses so that these deadly situations do not happen again. But landlords are ultimately responsible for ensuring outdoor spaces are legally and safely accessible and are not used improperly. If you make the decision to buy a building, you are responsible for the lives of its residents. And these landlords are not living up to that responsibility."

Rivera is working on two bills to address this issue. She has already introduced Intro 1292, which would require tenants to sign and acknowledge their understanding of the city's noise codes. She's planning on introducing a second bill that would ensure enforcement agencies have easier access to phone numbers of overnight building supers or contacts and require better oversight of rooftop use and capacity.

"We've heard complaints from constituents regarding out-of-control rooftop parties, even before the start of the pandemic," said Assemblymember Harvey Epstein. "I'm committed to ensuring we push state legislation and hearings to address this ongoing problem. The city and state need to take control of this situation before we lose more lives."

Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer also said that she supports a City Council hearing and a City Hall review of building code enforcement procedures related to rooftop parties, which some residents say have increased in recent years with a spate of new or renovated buildings offering outdoor amenities.

Residents who have been enduring unending rooftop parties hope that the proposed legislation will call on landlords to prevent these events from occurring or assess penalties to tenants for disturbances.

Meanwhile, more details have emerged about the victim, identified in published reports as Cameron Perrelli, a Connecticut native and Lower East Side resident who worked in finance.

Her uncle, Michael Perrelli, told the Daily News that the family received three versions of what led to her fall into an airshaft at around 3 a.m. 

"We got three stories — that she was jumping from one building to the next, and we heard that she was walking on an air-conditioning vent, and then somebody just said she slipped," he told the paper. "Don't they have a fence on top of the building? They allow parties?"

Said her father, Louis Perrelli: "It's not like her to be a risk-taker. She's not one to take those risks. I don't get it. She was perfect. ... She was always the designated driver, the good person, the peacemaker. She was an angel — that good."

The Daily Mail reports that Cameron Perrelli attempted to climb from the roof at 202 Avenue A to the roof next door at 200 Avenue A. A Daily Mail photographer accessed the roof yesterday morning, taking photos showing that 202 Avenue A is about four feet lower than the adjacent building at 200 Avenue A with a 3- to 4-foot airway in between.

As previously reported, workers added a horizontal and vertical enlargement of the existing 4-floor structure at 202 Avenue A, doubling the total square footage from 5,334 to 10,920. There are eight residences here at The Topanga. The penthouse units, featuring advertised rooftop access, are renting for $12,000 monthly, per Streeteasy.

Highpoint Property Group bought No. 202 in a deal that closed in late 2017 for $6.75 million. To date, Highpoint has not publicly responded to the tragedy despite requests from various media outlets, including The Daily Mail and People magazine.

In a complaint filed yesterday with the Department of Buildings, there's a "report of recreational use of the rooftop, contrary to the C of O [Certificate of Occupancy]."

It's not clear who filed the complaint. A DOB rep told ABC 7 yesterday that the department "was not requested to investigate the fatal fall and has not received any 311 calls related to illegal occupancy of the rooftop."

The DOB said in order for rooftops to be legally occupied as a recreational space, the building owners must obtain a Certificate of Occupancy for that use. They said 202 Avenue A does have a Certificate of Occupancy which includes an accessory roof terrace. The adjacent building, 200 Avenue A, does not have the certificate.

The most recent C of O we spotted online for 202 Avenue A was for the pre-renovated building and dated December 1992. (There appears to be a temporary C of O posted to the DOB Now portal.)

Also, according to 311 records, there have been 75 noise complaints at the address going back to December.

Records at Streeteasy show that the first penthouse at the renovated building — with a $12,000 ask — was rented in November 2020.

Image via Twitter

The owner of alt.coffee and Cake Shop is looking to start a new cafe concept

Updated 5/28: According to materials on the CB3 website, Bodor will be vying for the former Meatball Shop space at 84 Stanton St. just east of Allen.

East Village resident Nick Bodor, who has owned and operated several local businesses in the past 25 years, is looking to lease a storefront in the area for a venture that combines and revives several of his former concepts, including the music venue, bar and cafe Cake Shop. 

"I am looking at spaces in the neighborhood to re-boot alt-coffee (1995-2007 on Avenue A) and meld it with Cake Shop, the Library Bar plus add a T-shirt store: alt-cafe bar, bakeshop and T-shirt emporium," he said in an email. 

He's currently securing investors for the business (see this link for details). Here's part of his pitch:

• We think the community is missing us now more than ever and we need to develop something new. 

• We hope to create a new long running, passionate, maybe slightly eccentric business... just like our previous venues. 

• We want to open a young adult friendly cafe/performance space/screen printing facility/retail store/bakery in New York.

The Library Bar at 7 Avenue A has been closed since the start of the pandemic. However, the new venture won't impact its status. The Library, d.b.a., Doc Holliday's and Milano's will reopen this summer, said Bodor, a partner in the group that owns these bars. 

Cake Shop photo from December 2016 by Walter Wlodarczyk

Marufuku Ramen next up for 92 2nd Ave.

Coming soon signage is up now for Marufuku Ramen here at 92 Second Ave. between Fifth Street and Sixth Street. (Thanks to Steven for the pic!)

Marafuku has outposts in California and Texas and is licensing franchises. 

About their product, via the Marufuku website:

Marufuku proudly serves the authentic Hakata-style Tonkotsu ramen — featuring milky and umami rich broth made from boiling pork bones for long hours, an ultra-thin artisanal noodles that match perfectly with the broth, and Cha-shu made from specially selected pork.

No word on a possible opening date. It might not be too much of a turn-around ... after all, Sanpoutei Gyoza & Ramen was the most recent tenant, debuting in January 2020 after a lengthy renovation.

Sanpoutei never reopened after the PAUSE of March 2020. No. 92 hit the retail market last fall.

Kabin Bar & Lounge closed in March 2015 at this address. While there were a few potential suitors, the storefront remained empty until the build-out for Sanpoutei Gyoza & Ramen began in early 2019.

7th Street Burger for 7th Street

Updated: 7th Street Burger opened on June 3.

We heard rumors of a burger place opening at 91 E. Seventh St. just east of First Avenue... and yesterday, the window lettering went up for — ding, ding — 7th Street Burger. 

Not sure at the moment who's behind this venture. Per their website: "7th Street Burger offers classic American smash-burgers for takeout and delivery." 

The menu on the website includes a cheeseburger ($6), an Impossible burger ($7.50) and a grilled cheese ($3.50). They'll also serve Mexican Coca-Cola. 

This space was previously the longtime home to Caracas Arepa Bar, which closed last fall.

Monday's parting shot

A moment from Tompkins Square Park this afternoon... when the wind whipped up dust from the barren main lawn ... photo by Steven...

Volunteer help wanted for the new Loisaida CommUnity Fridge and Pantry

The nonprofit L.E.S. CommUnity Concerns is helping launch a new community fridge at Trinity Lower East Side Lutheran Parish on Avenue B at Ninth Street.

Here are more details:

We are a group of volunteers in the East Village getting ready to launch a Loisaida CommUnity Fridge and Pantry, a 24/7 Free Fridge and Pantry located outside of Trinity Lower East Side (SE corner of Avenue B and 9th Street).

The model is very similar to the East Village Neighbors' Fridge and Pantry located outside of S'Mac (12th Street and 1st Ave). It will be guided by the philosophy of "take what you need, leave what you can," with the goal of providing relief to community members experiencing food insecurity, reducing food waste from local restaurants/groceries, and supplementing the non-24/7 food pantries in the area.

We are aiming to begin offering the service to the community in the next couple of weeks, and need your help in making sure the fridge is a success. (There is no specific time commitment necessary to join the group.)

Find the volunteer form right here.

Trinity's Services and Food for the Homeless (SAFH) has served meals to those in need for more than 30 years. Last September, they launched College Food Pantry, which aims to help "address food insecurity among college students of all ages and backgrounds."  

Sidney's Five in soft-open mode on 1st Avenue

Sidney's Five recently opened at 103 First Ave. between Sixth Street and Seventh Street... in soft-open mode since May 15.

The principals here include David Lowenstein, who also runs the cafe-deli Pickler & Co. in Midtown, Edie Ugot, whose kitchen experience includes EdieJo's in Brooklyn and the Spotted Pig and the Breslin Bar, and Kai Woo, who was behind the bar at Union Square Café.

For now, the restaurant is serving a variety of sandwiches and some salads, coffee, soda, etc. (They applied for a liquor license in March.) 

Here's their temp menu...

You can find more details on the Sidney's Five website. 

They are open from 5 p.m. to ? Tuesdays through Sundays. 

Ugly Kitchen closed here last year after nearly nine years in business.

An organic grocery for the Bowery

A coming soon sign for an organic grocery is now on the window here at 352 Bowery between Fourth Street and Great Jones. 

The sign promises an assortment of "produce, beer, breakfast, lunch, convenience, fresh juice, milkshakes, smoothies." And it might give the 7-Eleven directly across the Bowery some convenience competition. 

Signage for a COVID-19 rapid-test site arrived here in December, though that never materialized. 

The Sage Kitchen restaurant space closed here last year. Their catering business is still in operation from another location.

A follow-up to the fire on Bleecker Street late Friday night

Here's a follow-up to the five-alarm fire reported at 163 Bleecker St. between Sullivan and Thompson late Friday night. 

The smoke was so intense several East Village residents thought the fire was a little closer to home. (This is outside our usual coverage zone, though we received a lot of questions about it.)

There was a report of two firefighters sustaining minor injuries at the scene. And, unfortunately, the business here, Uncle Ted's Modern Chinese Cuisine, was destroyed.

 Here's their message to patrons on Saturday via Instagram:

Amazing 8 years, oh man, we've been through the hardship of pandemic, we were ready to fully reopen to a reunion with all the friends, we were so excited to see our city back, we were trying so hard to make it happen……now it's time to say goodbye. Thanks to all the brave firefighters battling for us last night, thanks for everyone who supported and loved us. Thank you! It's extremely hard for us but we will be back! 

The second floor of the building housed a yoga studio.

The fire remains under investigation, per NYI.  

Sunday's parting shot

NYC Is Back, as seen on St. Mark's Place between Avenue A and First Avenue ... created yesterday by @degrupo and @thecreator.nyc ... 

And this is the former St. Dymphna's, space... they are now open at 117 Avenue A.

Week in Grieview

Posts from this past week include (with a photo by Derek Berg from Second Avenue)... 

• Woman dies after falling from Avenue A rooftop party; Rivera demands review of building enforcement procedures (Saturday) ... Neighbors address the rooftop parties at this 6th Street building (Wednesday) 

• Details on the 34th annual Loisaida Festival (Thursday) 

 • Police searching for suspect who punched an Asian woman at the 2nd Avenue F stop (Friday) 

• A new era for Good Time Pilates (Monday)

• Nest watch: The red-tailed chicks are growing up quickly in Tompkins Square Park (Wednesday)

• The remains of the Gem Spa can now be found in homes (and a barn) across the U.S. (Tuesday) 

 • On Union Square, Food Emporium makes the upcoming closing official (Monday) 

• New sidewalk debuts on the northwest corner of 2nd Avenue and 7th Street (Monday) 

• AuH20 Thriftique is returning full time to 7th Street (Friday) 

• A-1 Record Shop reopens for in-store shopping (Saturday)

• Blackout along East River Park (Wednesday) 

• A new single from Hello Mary (Friday)

• Trading places: Are you ready for some Unregular Pizza? (Tuesday) 

• A little love for Little Poland (Tuesday) 

• St. Mark’s Comics is reopening this summer (in Brooklyn) (Thursday) 

• A look at the under-renovation Ideal Glass space on 2nd Street (Wednesday) • Renovated Irving Plaza announces slate of 40-plus shows (Monday) 

• Viewing the found art of Zbigniew Zolkowski on Avenue C (Saturday) 

• Openings: Soda Club on Avenue B; Jolene on Great Jones Street (Thursday)

• Oh hi there's a rat in your car (Wednesday) 

• Electric Burrito debuts on St. Mark's Place (Tuesday)

• New Bagel Boss location now with Bagel Boss signage (Monday) 

• Brooklyn Dumpling Shop makes its long-awaited automat debut (Wednesday) 

• Good night: Mattress Firm closes up shop on East Houston (Tuesday) 

... and in the jerk move of the week...

Someone just came in and purchased $110 in books, only to return them all hour later. He said he just needed them for a film shoot. For an AMAZON COMMERCIAL.

— Book Club (@bookclubbar) May 17, 2021

---

Follow EVG on Instagram or Twitter for more frequent updates and pics.  

A bike ride for a safer Avenue B-Clinton Street

Some local residents are coming together tomorrow (Monday!) morning to rally for a Safer Avenue B/Clinton Street for cyclists and pedestrians. 

As bike advocates have noted, too many vehicles are speeding on Clinton Street and blocking the bike lane.

Here are details about tomorrow via the EVG inbox... (and local City Councilmember Carlina Rivera is said to be joining the ride)...

Monday, May 24 at 7:30 a.m. Clinton Street and Grand Street, southwest corner next to the Citi Bike station. We'll ride up north on Clinton Street and continue on Avenue B. Stop in front of Councilmember Carlina Rivera's office on Fourth Street for a few words and then continue to the schools in time for the 8:30 a.m. start time Wear yellow shirts so we are visible. (School spirit shirts preferable.)

Advocates had previously asked for protected bike lanes on Avenue B.

In late April, City Council voted on the bill that Rivera introduced to make the Open Streets program permanent. (Mayor de Blasio later signed off on it.) 

Avenue B between Sixth Street and 14th Street is part of the Open Streets program, hosted locally by the Loisaida Open Streets Community Coalition.  

[Updated] Woman dies after falling from Avenue A rooftop; Rivera demands review of building enforcement procedures

According to several nearby residents, a woman attending a rooftop party at 202 Avenue A fell to her death early this morning. Local City Councilmember Carlina Rivera's office confirmed the tragedy.

Rivera's office stated that it was "a dangerously overcrowded rooftop party" here between 12th Street and 13th Street. 

Following the death, Rivera is calling on City Council to address tenant and landlord neglect of rooftop events, "as well as for an official review of the lack of agency enforcement by DOB, DEP, FDNY and NYPD of dangerous rooftop parties in Manhattan."

Earlier this week, East Village residents noted the ongoing disruptive rooftop parties at 330 E. Sixth St., prompting other reports of addresses holding similar events. 

According to a media advisory from Rivera's office late this afternoon:

[T]his event is just the latest in a string of documented and reported weekly parties that far exceed safe occupancy levels and often feature concert-level amplified sound on a series of East Village rooftops. Partygoers have even recently been reported to be jumping from rooftop to rooftop during these gatherings. 

Electeds have sent letters to City Hall and building managers, but agencies have failed to respond to these hazardous conditions. Community boards have followed up directly with the appropriate agencies but have received inadequate answers.

Rivera is working on two bills to address this issue — one introduced that would require tenants to sign and acknowledge their understanding of the city's noise codes. Another that is planned to be introduced soon requires better oversight of rooftop use and capacity.

Tomorrow morning at 10, Rivera, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, State Sen. Brad Hoylman, local Assemblymember Harvey Epstein, reps from Community Board 3 and the local block association will gather outside 202 Avenue A to discuss the new bills. 

The NYPD continues to investigate last night's rooftop death. The victim's name has not yet been released. 

--

Update: According to the Post, the woman was 24 and lived on Delancey. She was reportedly climbing from 202 Avenue A to 200 Avenue A  around 3:30 a.m. when she lost her footing and fell between the buildings.

Update 2: Published reports identified the woman as Cameron Perrelli, a Connecticut native who worked in finance in Manhattan. 

Cameron’s father Louis Perrelli said, "It's not like her to be a risk-taker. She's not one to take those risks. I don’t get it. We don’t really know a lot. We got three stories — that she was jumping from one building to the next, and we heard that she was walking on an air-conditioning vent, and then somebody just said she slipped. Don't they have a fence on top of the building? They allow parties?"

--

As previously reported, workers added a horizontal and vertical enlargement of the existing 4-floor structure at 202 Avenue A, doubling the total square footage from 5,334 to 10,920. There are eight residences here at The Topanga. The penthouse units, featuring rooftop access, are renting for $12,000 monthly, per Streeteasy.

Highpoint Property Group bought No. 202 in a deal that closed in late 2017 for $6.75 million. 

Viewing the found art of Zbigniew Zolkowski on Avenue C

Trocha Gallery is now open at 55 Avenue C at Fourth Street (the former Avenue C Studio).

The pop-up space is serving for now "as a cathedral" of Zbigniew Zolkowski's art. 

Here's more about him:

Zbigniew Zolkowski, known to his close circle of friends as Joey Baby, was born in Poland in 1950. Although tens of thousands of passersby have undoubtedly witnessed his art,  Zolkowski himself is all but invisible to the public.  

Among street artists, however, Joey Baby was one of the first renegades who pioneered the street art movement by risking arrest and in some cases being jailed for criminal trespass. That said, by no means does Joey struggle in obscurity. 

Rather than struggle, Zolkowski exalts in his defiance of municipal authority by transforming the industrial wastelands, deserted waterfronts and empty lots of New York City into an exhibition space always open and always free to the public. 

 

Zolkowski finds, collects and creates his trans-dimensional pieces by sifting through trash and scavenging the streets. His foraged work sets up a statement regarding the post-consumer wasteland, to be found on the curbside of urban society.  

This solo show, "Wings of Desire," opened on Thursday evening. EVG contributor Stacie Joy shared these images, starting with the artist himself...

... and some gallery scenes...

It also happened to be Zolkowski's 71st birthday ... 

His friend, Pawel Trocha, presented the cake...

Trocha Gallery is open daily from noon to 9 p.m. The exhibit will be up through the end of May — possibly through the middle of June.