"ART" it says, the paint splashed onto the sidewalk and neighboring buildings. It's unclear what the graffitist is trying to communicate here.
The tipster asked the three Russian guys who are cleaning it up, "Is this an art show or marketing or vandalism?"
"Oh yes," said one worker, "it's an art show. No, I'm kidding. Someone make a joke."
In the annals of anti-chain store insurrection, can we add this incident to the recent Starbucks egg toss and the 7-11 window smash?
You know, it would never happen in a million years because of "branding" and all that shit, but MJ should just leave the graf up on the wall instead of taking it down. If he was truly an designer who obviously wants the image of an "edgy" new york designer then why the hell not, why let a little pink graffiti get in the way of that edgy stance. Just cause you buy the building that CBGB was in (i know, different d-bag designer, but same idea)doesn't necessarily mean you bought CBGB.
ReplyDeleteWouldn't be surprised if this is murketing or whatever. So edgy!
ReplyDeleteUgh. I seems like not even CBGB owns CBGB.
ReplyDeleteTaken, ironically, from today's NYT. I go to Vanishing NY before the Times on a daily basis.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/08/arts/music/cbgb-owners-plan-a-festival-and-seek-a-new-location.html?_r=1
Agree with ShatteredMonocle, most likely a PR or marketing from Marc Jacobs. Just look at the size of the painting. Most likely needed a ladder to have splashed paint on that and no passerby noticed it?
ReplyDeleteAn attempt by the bland to be edgy.
Probably a new line of fashion -- Art by Marc Jacobs by Marc Jacobs
i think it was done with a fire extinguisher.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Paint-with-a-Fire-Extinguisher/
@ Esquared
ReplyDeleteMaybe I was giving him too much credit. I like your's and shatteredmonocle's cynicism.
the Observer followed up--the graffiti was done by Kidult, and appropriated by Jacobs:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.observer.com/2012/05/marc-jacobs-store-kidult-graffitti-artist-05082012/
See...
ReplyDeleteAn art devoid of art. Never trust anyone who would open up a bookstore devoid of books
http://ny.racked.com/archives/2010/09/04/exclusive_marc_jacobs_bleecker_street_bookmarc_is_open.php
Maybe he will appropriate this post too and claim it for himself: Blog Jacobs from Marc Jacobs by Marc Jacobs.
Nonetheless, he wins, the moneyed fashionistas will surely eat this up. I expect to see "Art Jacobs" bags, scarves, whatnot, being carried or worn by many in the coming months.
well that's dumb
ReplyDeleteWow. That was a confusing article. Way to meta for me. Who's gonna watch the watchmen?
ReplyDeleteAnyway, it turns out maybe I discredited my own cynicism...or was that optimism?
I need to sit down with a dunkin' donuts coffee and a starbucks muffin and maybe a slurpee and some $500 flip-flops to figure this one out.
And like you said, this will appeal for the
ReplyDelete...person of the future, this won't trouble you. ... Having never read a book in your life, you won't even know what you are missing.
http://vanishingnewyork.blogspot.com/2010/09/future-is-marc.html
(From the Observer article) "One can’t rule out the scenario that Marc Jacobs collaborated with Kidult to “vandalize” his store."
ReplyDeleteI think that's exactly what has happened here.
Marc Jacobs let a drug addict hustler choose his tattoos, maybe he's responsible for this edgy mural too!
ReplyDeletemy guess is that the Jacobs corporation did not plan this graffiti. why would they have 3 - 4 workers out there furiously scrubbing it off at 9AM? if they'd planned it, they'd want to leave it up for at least the day, for maximum buzz.
ReplyDeletei think Kidult acted alone and the Jacobs people scrambled, before deciding to turn lemons into lemonade by co-opting the assault as "edgy."
next time, instead of ART, if someone wrote FUCK MARC JACOBS, that would be a lot tougher to tweet enthusiastically about.
wish someone had simply added an "F" to the beginning of this graffiti.
ReplyDeleteFART would also be tough for Jacobs to tweet enthusiastically about.
The marc jacobs bookstore actually has a good selection of books, (including Celeste Albaret's Monsieur Proust) but those catered more to an audience that probably buys them to put on the coffee table or on bookshelves to say "oh, how cool i am" or " i read that" (but never read anything except a fashion magazine)
ReplyDeleteas for the fartwork that was put up, as indicated by a commenter, it is by some french fellow, but that seems neither street art nor graffiti but more like random vandalism.