Photos By Gail

It seems there’s always something new to discover in and around Freeman Alley, the Lower East Side’s ever-changing street art mecca. On the day after the Fourth of July, with the summer heat still hanging over the city, I spotted this oversized Pink Buddha mural on Rivington Street, just a few steps from the alley itself. Despite looking carefully, I couldn’t find an artist’s tag, so perhaps one of my readers can chime in.

In the second photo below, you’ll notice a Japanese lucky cat painted on the adjacent doorway, bearing the tag IMK — possibly the same artist I featured in an earlier post. Did IMK also paint this giant pink Buddha? It’s hard to say, and for now the mural’s creator remains a mystery.

I’m not sure how long this cheerful Buddha remained on the wall—or whether it’s still there today — but for the moment I found it, it was impossible not to smile. With its rosy pink color, peaceful expression, and prayer beads draped casually over one knee, it seemed to offer a quiet blessing to everyone passing by. It’s exactly the kind of unexpected discovery that makes an urban art safari on the streets of the LES so rewarding.