The Sunday after our opening reception for THE STREETS OF EUROPE group exhibition, we brought a few of the artists in the show (those who were not too hungover, that is) out to paint at 5pointz in Long Island City, Queens. For those who don’t know, 5pointz—a mecca for graffiti writers—is essentially a giant converted warehouse full of artist studios. It’s outer walls are in a constant state of flux, always completely covered in legal artwork, created by both very famous street artists, as well as brave beginners.
After having made arrangements for him previously, we showed Blek le Rat the wall where he was slotted to put up a wheatpaste and stencil. Here you can see the 7train passing by on the elevated track right behind it.
He was sure to take a quick snapshot of it before leaving.
Bo130 and Microbo strike a pose in the stairwell, before heading up to the rooftop for a sweet view of the city.
While there, we stopped in to visit our mask-wearing friend Max Lust, in his studio. The ever-anonymous Space Invader spontaneously decided to use the resident cat as a mask of his own for this photo opp.
Since 5pointz can only accomodate painters on it’s facade, Space Invader chose an elevated subway column as home to one of his signature mozaic placements, near an earlier one from years ago that he was pleased to see is still intact. This new one is right on the corner of Jackson Avenue, near PS1. It has special reflective tiles for eyes, so they actually appear to glow with the oncoming traffic. Be sure to check it out for yourself if you are in the area!
