Building, Dwelling, Drinking

It warms Clancco’s heart when we see construction sites (or structures) being used to expand the discourse of art and law. Wednesday’s NY Times had a story on a group of individuals who use temporary walls built around construction sites as gallery walls. One artist, El Celso, tells how even though permits and permission were obtained there were still other legal issues to contend with–like drinking!

On a recent night in Long Island City, Queens, the first found a mutually beneficial use for the second, called it a gallery and held an opening, with Cheez Doodles standing in for canapés.

The exhibition of work by more than 20 artists, most of them graffitists in good standing, has taken shape on the scaffolding-shaded plywood walls around a rising condo, just yards away from the busy ramps to the Pulaski Bridge spanning Newtown Creek.

As it turns out, mounting street art legally is sometimes not much easier than doing it under cover of night. An overzealous security guard for the condo project shut down the art-making one night, rebuffing all attempts at explanation. Police cruisers constantly stopped. El Celso also noted that he and other artists making an authorized mural in Bushwick, Brooklyn, this month were given tickets by the police after opening beers to celebrate the day’s work.

Incidentally, our fellow intern, Ms. Valencia, took a stroll to 54th Street to see how MoMAs Home Delivery exhibit is shaping up. She managed to snap a few pics of their parking lot space which, although a few days old, we decided to share with you. Enjoy!