Another prime example of a “graf-out” on the Lower East Side of New York City. We love these things. The graf-out has its own aesthetic — cloud-shaped blobs and swaths of gray paint on metal shutters look like abstract art. Ivan Corsa Photo
Graf goes up, graf goes down. Or, rather, graf gets covered with a coat of paint. Often, that coat of paint is in a slightly different hue from the original color of the wall. We call these “graf-outs.” Nevertheless, a mismatching of hues is the price one pays in theContinue Reading
The signage is starting to fade atop this paint store on Essex St. off East Broadway in New York City, but its colors still offer a bright touch to an otherwise gray block of Lower East Side lofts, tenements and warehouses. Ivan Corsa Photo
Another shot of a paint store front-signage on a Lower East Side block of lofts, tenements and warehouses in New York. This second shot has some added color courtesy of the passersby whose clothing seems to match the color palette of the sign. Ivan Corsa Photo
This huge mural in Williamsburg, in Brooklyn, “rocks the rockingest!” This well-executed work has the look of a magazine illustration writ extra-large. But what really makes this mural pop is the explosive tag painted in the center, which is polished, highly-stylized and pristine. It’s rare to see such a juxtopositionContinue Reading
The East Village in New York City could just as handily be called “Little Tokyo” or “Japan Town” given the extraordinary number of Japanese restaurants, sushi bars and supermarkets, as well as Japanese owned-and-operated hair salons, vintage clothing shops and other establishments (from record stores to toy stores) opened andContinue Reading
An up by “Lier” on the Lower East Side. This tag has edgier, geometric lines and less of the curvelinear stylistic touches of most aerosoled monikers. Ivan Corsa Photo
A clever, “designy” (but not too designy) typographic treatment as logo for local eatery/catering company Snackbar on the side of it’s catering van. A glance at the logo — the brand — itself already makes us think that Snackbar’s food is reliably prepared and delivered. As to the taste ofContinue Reading
Here we’ve got the work of several street artists and writers, including that of a couple of the underground’s brightest stars – Shepard Fairey and Swoon. Here’s the breakdown: The black-and-white motorcycle cop paste-up holding the Andre the Giant icon is the work of Shephard Fairey (of Obey / GiantContinue Reading
A nice close-up of an up on the side of a truck in Chinatown. Mid-sized freight trucks are everywhere in lower Manhattan, but especially in Chinatown. Most of these vehicles are white and as such are a tempting canvas waiting to be filled by aspiring artists and writers. The mobilityContinue Reading
We don’t know who the artist is behind this sticker of a dripping paint brush, which can be interpreted as an ironic, cheeky comment on the nature art itself, given that painting is the medium most associated with the idea of art. The person who created this sticker could haveContinue Reading
Every time we see an up by Claw, it’s a little different from every one we’ve seen before. The colors are different, the pattern is different and there’s always a different number, word or phrase embdeed within the claw itself. It is that three-toe claw that is the only constantContinue Reading
The artist(s) who goes by the name Faile is among the stars of the global street art underground. This artists work takes several forms, but the most striking are wheat-paste posters like the above image, wwhich we snapped in the SoHo lofts district, in New York City. In this case,Continue Reading
A view from the mezzanine inside the AOL Time Warner Building looking out through the huge glass front onto Columbus Circle in Manhattan. Across the roundabout, at 2 Columbus Circle, is a white skyscraper that is an important piece of 1960’s-era architecture, The New York Cultural Center Building. Originally itContinue Reading
Another shot that shows the wall of coffee lids designed by architects Lewis Tsurumaki Lewisat at Ini Ani Espresso Bar in New York City. Here we see mirror slivers embeded in the wall to break up the pattern and to add depth and reflected light to the space. Ivan CorsaContinue Reading
Detail image of innovative interior decor feature at Ini Ani Espresso Bar in New York City. The wall pattern is made from impressions of plastic coffee cup lids in plaster. The cafe interior was developed by the NYC architects Lewis Tsurumaki Lewis. Ivan Corsa Photo
One of our favorite cafes in the Lower East Side is Ini Ani Espresso Bar on Stanton St. The small cafe has an exquisite interior designed and built by a local architecture firm called Lewis Tsurumaki Lewis. The architects made an innovative use of materials to decorate the walls andContinue Reading
Close-up shot of tag by “Sasse” in the East Village on future site of luxury condo development. Ivan Corsa Photo
“Sasse” is the name, “writin’” is the game. Nice, quick aerosol up in an empty lot with basketball backboard on East 1rst Street in the East Village. Eventually this will all be gone and in its place … a high-rise with luxury condos and loft apartments for the New Downtowners.Continue Reading
In New York City, if you’re engaged in any kind of construction, whether putting up a new luxury condo or renovating a factory to make way for loft apartments or buidling a new restaurant interior, you’ll need city work permits for construction and these permits must be posted in publicContinue Reading
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