Splasher Strikes on the LES

1.

such bullshit. a damm good piece of street art. destroyed just like the rest of the neighborhood.

2.

One man's vandal is another man's edgy artist.

Street art, graffiti, vandalism? Where does one start to evaluate what is good or bad? I guess that comes from one's ignorance and/or respect for other people's property.

3.

I think the splash art is just as interesting as the traditional "street art." the splasher seems to be deliberate about how and where he/she splashes and the paint colors are quite beautiful. besides, isn't street art ephemeral and the "public domain" of visual art? anything goes, right? otherwise it belongs in a gallery.

4.

Whether it's painted, sketched, splashed, or magic markered, if it's on public property, and there is no permission granted for such displays, then it's not art, it's vandalism. Why bother arguing the point?

5.

well kids this is nyc and we have had graffiti for close to 40 years here at least so it is here to stay and will be here long after you turds return to your hovels in the midwest
graff in your face kids deal with it asshole and brooklyn and les are ground zero for the graffiti set
enjoy the view fucktards

6.

why give these people press, will only lead to more of the same, you are playing right into their hands by giving the a free audience and attention.

7.

there's no statement here except that the splash "artist" can't paint and has to resort to this crap. meaningless shit.

8.

i think it deserves press. and i think splash artist CAN paint and who the hell can make that judgment call. it's public art. if you can't handle your "favorite street art" being vandalized, it's probably high time to pack up and move behind a white picket fence somewhere far away from new york city. take a picture next time if you like it so much.

9.

so let's see how pretentious you defenders of the artiste realm get when the police arrest the 9 year old - "let him express himself daaarling - he's just going through,oh, you know, one of those phases all young geniuses go through - now pass the olives pooky"

10.

Why destroy actually interesting street art, be it vandalism or not, with a messy splash of one colored paint? Some of the local street art has done neighborhoods well, bringing in people to see it, local buisnesses have a customer flow that they might not have because of it. Look at the Banksy on N. 6th in Williamsburg that was splashed last fall, tour groups were reportedly comming to see it, probalby checking out the actual gallery next to it as well, and helping out those artists. The paint splasher may be making a statement because the new stencils arent old school graf, but why ruin something by a talented artist with splashs any 3 year old can do? Nuff said.

11.

I think the splasher's paint really adds to the art. complements whats underneath. if i dint know better i'd think it was part of the original thing. i dunno. looks good. nice work splasher!

12.

I think the splash technique paint is nice.

I just hope the artist doesn't dash across the street going home to his mother and gets cremated by a speeding garbage truck like that unfortunate Jewish kid that got smashed by a train a few weeks ago. That would be dreadful.

13.

further proof that nyc's creative energy continues to wither away...theres already much less public art here than in earlier years, or in other cities...but now we have this douche bag "expressing" himself by destroying the work of others who are trying to beautify the last few precious spaces not already claimed by banks and DunkinD and Toll brothers.oh and lets not forget Advertisements over every fucking inch of space(and then some)...vandalism? where?

Go New York! Now 85% sanitized and normalized!

14.

bansky is not a nyc street artist
a nyc street artist is ja one xtc or cope or ghost
not these art school fags

15.

nyc street artist = skuf one xtc brooklyn's finest

also a revs is a true innovator of graff in nyc as well. do yuor homework on nyc street art

16.

thats not Banksy its WK, who is also another bullshit "street" artist / self promoter / merchandiser

big ups to JA, COPE & GHOST
lets not forget CHINO & VEEFER

how about more grimy cats like KEZ5 or SKUFF

FYI KAWS&TWIST aint "street"

17.

Take the street artists and all those that deface property and throw them in prison with lots of walls. Give them each a case of spray paint and let them rot there for a year. Feeding them should be optional and only once a week at that.

Graffiti in all it's forms I believe started in bathrooms back even before Roman times. That's where these people minds are and that's where they should live in the shit houses they try to create.

18.

no ya rul they will spray paint your overpriced condo in bk
lol asshat

19.

It looks like a collage to me.

20.

I wish the splasher would splash the big ugly ads on the sides of the buildings in SOHO and the Village...FUCK UGLY ADVERTISERS...face it ...All of them are attention whores....pick which ones you like thats all.

21.

that lindsay lohan movie was so bad.

22.

"well kids this is nyc and we have had graffiti for close to 40 years here at least so it is here to stay and will be here long after you turds return to your hovels in the midwest"

That's like saying Robberies are up 50% this year, but hey, this is NYC, why bother doing something about it? By the way asswipe, you could have come up with something more creative than that tired, old, line about Midwesterners.

23.

I'm right behind you #13 - this city is so over. It's only the pathetic, hangers-on that refuse to see it.

24.

#13 and #9, thank you for waking up with brains today.

this is crap. there is no statement here. i wish everyone would stop calling this half-assed, poorly executed shit art.

25.

i hope someone catches him in the act and beats the shit out of him/her.

26.

I love this guy.... ok so being sarcastic. Puts up these finely crafted manifestos about his actions. Of course we have a word people with manifestos, facists (see Stalin, Mussolini, etc.).

Of course I cabn't take this one too seriously. After all te ideas he espouses are crap to begin with... so much so he/she doesn't even follow it. A valid piece of street art was sprayed int he name of art being taken over by corporations, right and you left 2 Dewar's ads within 2 blocks untouched, nice way to stick it to the man, by ignoring that which you say you hate. Granted the Dewars ads are much better the the Rolling rock (illegal) monstrosity onthe corner of Ludlow and Stanton, so why not hit those? Because your manifesto is your immature way of dealing with rejection for a lack of talent I would presume. So be a man/woman and do your own freakin work ass-hole.

27.

To inject some social commentary on this. When the yuppies moved into the EV/LES the artist crowd complained, saying that it wold erode the artistic culture. And to some extent it did. Then they complained that fancier places opened up and hey might be forced out, again it happened. All up in arms about making life more difficult for artists and art in the city, all argurable. But where's the outrage here? Some guy is physically, destroying art and not much of a peep from the arts community. Either they were right and were all forced out or some of them are hypocrits and think change is ok as long as someone says its in the name or art, event when its clear its not.

28.

they will only get up in arms if he splashes a chase branch or a starbucks
welcome to the most bland nyc ever thanks midwesterners
it never gets old docuhebags

29.

hey 28, my chase branch is prettier than yours. now get back to work making my latte

30.

Commenting on the splasher, it is the street art way, you put your art up in public and eventually someone destroys it, big deal. Sad how un-asthetic this is though, gives artists a chance to come reclaim their art if they so wish or improve upon it. I liked the Banksy in WillB, liked the WK, liked all the Swoons that the splasher has destroyed but street art will come back with a response (see the new Faile where Banksy was) What bothers me (being from the midwest) is posts like this. What makes your argument more valid than mine. Who cares if my parents chose to raise me outside of NYC.

You were raised here so you must be smarter and more creative than I could ever hope to be. In fact when I was young if I expressed creative ambitions, I was whipped and forced weed my cornfield by hand. And in highschool, they also encouraged me to study hard, so one day I could move to NYC and ruin any artistic inclination that city still had left. I can see how you despise us midwesterners now, get a life.

31.

one mans pollock is another mans splash vandal.

this guy is clearly a pansy ass amateur (he only hits at street level and check out his palette--nothing hardcore and street like basic black) but give him some time and the artists will find a way to break his fingers or put him to work putting that splash to work where it really needs to be put--anything shiny and new and above 5 storiesand below houston comes to mind

32.

oompaloompa , you do realize that the splash vandal is using brown, don't cha? And while we are at it I assume you mean the new developments south of Houston, then go with 6-stories or you'll be targetting, oh almost 80% of the pre-war buildings which are almost all 6-stories, some a few more. But I do agree with your positions, just need more attention to details.

33.

First off, whatever. It was old anyway.

That said, instead of hitting the Dewar's mural up the street between Stanton and Houston (twice as big, with huge corporate logos), they fuck with real work. While tired, this was one of the better pieces in the area - nice and violent, mildly provocative.

Splashing is not an anonymous "tag" of the oppressed artist blah blah (add hyperbole here) and is not a justification for destroying estimable free public art. Splashing is immature anarchist bullshit.

Love,
One of the people who pays artists to make original work (you know, with money, so they can pay rent and eat and make more art, you splashing imbeciles).

P.S. Someone give me the deets on the new calligraphy L symbol all over the LES. Nice. And no foam on the latte, please.

34.

this vandal is foul, and no comparison to pollack or "splash art" lies here. it is unacceptable graffiti conduct to bomb or cover another's mural like this. it's insulting and disrespectful to the other artist. find your own wall if you want to splash, not someone's detailed effort.

whoever did this is a punk. someone should look out for him and throw him a beating. one time, face first into his "painting," and "splash art" on other people's murals will stop real fast.

35.

gentrifier,

Is this the L you speak of? Im seeing it all over as well
http://www.flickr.com/photos/35034351576@N01/383040855/

36.

stop calling it art because it isnt.

37.

You grafitti my builidngs, I vandalize your vandalsm!

To all cry baby grafitti vandals: Tough shit. A taste of your own medicine.

More splashings to follow.

38.

I'm pretty sure WK had permission on this piece, so it wasn't really vandalism.

39.

Anyone that carries, transports, receives or delivers any pigmented substance outside of their abode without a proper license and paying of such fees as required by law should be shot on sight.

Licenses will be checked after the said carrier is shot.

Hasidic liquids and carbide or harder materials are also part of the bill I am proposing to stop the defecation of public and private surfaces.

40.

Search fickr for splashing and there's some interesting chatter by some of those targeted. Hate to see a Swoon go down, but then pleased when another goes up.
PS JA was whack, an overblown tagger with few pieces of real creativity, easy to go 5 boro with two letters!

41.

Hahahaha, I love all you art fags whining with your panties all in a bind!!! What an enjoyable thread to read!

42.

Blek - that's it. On Cafe Charbon, in the F/V stop at Allen & Houston ...

43.

hey, you say art fag like it's a bad thing!

44.

seriously, why doesn't he splash street ads? especially the graffiti ads on bodega gates? that's a lot mroe artistic than splashing something someone put up as art (legal or not). as we know, a lot of street ads ARE illegal.

45.

Arabic speaker says that the "L" tag is not Arabic.

46.

Turns out the L is from a japanese? street artist Zys, flickr them and u will find alot.

47.

What was up there was art. what is up there now is vandalism

48.

all of you need to step away from your computers and go about your stale boring lives.

49.

Yo Splasher,

you fuckin' wanker...
Why don't you crawl back under that rock you came from under... and have the balls to ask yourself what it is that makes you do such stupid shit...
Low self esteem? Abolute lack of creativity/talent? Plane jealousy? Desperate cry for attention?
In fact, I actually don't care what it is I think you should just fuck off and find a wall of your own to display your "amazing" art on...
Wanker!

50.

there's a bit of an artsy aspect to the concept though...vandalizing graffiti.

it's like taking something ugly, and putting up something beautiful as art, only to have it made ugly again.

I say there's probably more art in the splasher's piece than the actual street painting itself. There's some sort of built up angst and hatred of street artists, i suppose.

more power to him.

but someone please kick his ass for wreckin such bombin ass shit.

51.

This splasher guy must be some kind of artist wannabe. I dont think that there's any credit to someone who focuses his "work" on someone else's, it doesn't matter that he is copying or "splashing" it, he(or she) should find his own style, and another way to be a big bad boy!

And i agree with some of the other posts: please kick his ass and then splash the fucker!

52.

Personally I think the splasher is the only really interesting "street artists" out there now. Graffiti, once taken as a hostile act of social defiance has now been so thoroughly commodified that it now amounts to little more than advertising. Street art's promise of creating a visual discourse in public space free from the corrupting influence of capitalist patronage has now devolved into little more than a shortcut to mainstream success. The splasher's manifesto borrow's pretty directly from Situationist literature, he/her is making their point pretty clear