There are some cars you park and forget, and then there are cars like this wildly painted Fiat 500 spotted in the Chelsea Gallery District that feel like they belong in a gallery all their own.
Covered in a riot of color, spray-paint swirls, drippy graffiti-style flourishes, and layered street art details, this little Fiat turns an ordinary curbside parking spot into an outdoor exhibition. The star of the design is impossible to miss: stretched across the hood is the soulful face of an owl, its giant golden eyes staring right back at you.
There are certain artists whose visual language is so instantly recognizable that you can spot their work from across the room —or, in this case, across a gallery floor attached to a Land Rover.
I recently stopped by Keith Haring in 3-D at Free Parking, a pop-up exhibition in the West Village dedicated to a lesser-discussed but wildly fun part of Keith Haring’s career: the objects he transformed beyond the canvas. While Haring is most famous for his subway drawings, radiant babies, barking dogs, and dancing figures that helped define downtown New York in the 1980s, this show focused on his three-dimensional works — including two of his rare painted art cars. Continue reading Keith Haring in 3-D: When the Canvas Has Four Wheels→
If you’ve been wandering around New York City lately, you may have spotted a sleek Porsche wrapped in understate Millennial Pink, doubling as a moving billboard for Get Plump, a cheekily-branded Botox salon. The car is hard to miss, emblazoned with slogans like “Need money for Botox” — turning heads and phones as New Yorkers snap photos for Instagram. It’s a perfect marriage of luxe sports car fantasy and playful beauty marketing, making street parking feel just a little more glamorous.
Spotted melting down emotionally and physically on the 10th Street side of Gelatoville in the East Village, today’s Pink Thing is a mural of one very nervous-looking scoop of Strawberry Gelato. This poor pastel blob seems to have just realized its fate — and it’s dripping with anxiety. Created by street artist Insomnia (who clearly relates), this frozen treat is serving full-on panic meltdown. I feel you on this.
Visit Gelatoville for a scoop or two at 163 Avenue A at the northwest corner of 10th Street!
Untitled (2007) by David Hammons is a conceptual and found-object artwork that consists of a luxurious fox fur coat defaced with spray paint. This piece is a striking example of Hammons’ ongoing critique of race, class, and the art market. Continue reading Modern Art Monday Presents: David Hammons Untitled (Fur Coat)→
