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Here's an interesting street art story: about a month ago, we noticed that someone was defacing Swoon posters around the city with the words "Sold to MoMa"-- a reference to her recent inclusion in a print exhibit at the museum:
Many people in the streetart community were offended by that stencil, as Swoon is highly regarded as a talented and hard-working artist. Soon, a number of the "Sold to MoMa" stencils were turned into "Soldier for Nomads". This one was spotted by GammaBlog:
Eventually, Swoon herself heard about the controversy, and decided to redo one of the defaced murals. Visual Resistence reports:
Since Swoon didnt like the old mural at this site very much, the recent criticism was enough of a push and excuse for us to put up a new mural! It was a great afternoon putting this up. Most people walking by were worried that we were just painting over the old one. There was an great response by folks when we told them that we were replacing it. All around it was a great time with a warm response from folks in the neighborhood.
You can see the new mural on Rivington just east of Norfolk-- right near Schillers. It's great! Here's a picture of Swoon hard at work on it:
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I walked by the photo shoot of Swoon yesterday on my way home. The old mural was one of my favorites. I blew up a photo of it and hung it over my bed. I'm going to miss walking by it. Not a big fan of the new one, but I love Swoon!
fyi the 'picture of Swoon' link requires signing-in to flickr
Or you can just goto www.flickr.com and do a search for Swoon..
or i could step away from my nice airconditioned cube, get on the subway, walk to rivington, locate that wall, and look at it that way.... or not.
So, what, the "Sold to MOMA" was sprayed on because other artists think she's a sellout? Geez louise, you can smell the jealousy from Jersey City.
You'll comment on the "sold to MoMA" but won't say anything about the tags and graffiti sprayed all over the place?
Ok, Swoon is a cool artist with some interesting and "cutting edge" work. Go Swoon! But seriously Gothamist, let's talk about some other artists as well. There are so many amazing and talented people in this city that need to be seen and heard and have a gothamist write up too! Get too it. Enough with Swoon already! Gothamist has a Swoon obsession and it is boring us to death. Nothing against Swoon - she rocks.
"Many people in the streetart community were offended by that stencil..."
I really doubt that more than a handful of people were offended.
Swoon is a very talented artist, but this is not the first time one street artist went over another street artist. In fact, Swoon does it all the time; placing her work over other artists work. So what's the big deal. It par for the course in the politics of street art.
And what's amazing is she's arguably one of the most successful street artists as far as transition from street to mainstream goes. And she's been very outspoken--at least in the past--about allowing her pieces to decay and fade away when they exist in the street world. So what's the issue? Is the concept of these works having a life on their own once put up no longer in play?
It seems quite petty that someone who has clearly grown in her career would take it so personally when someone goes over her work. Especially when her work is now displayed in major museums and galleries.
I'd actually respect Swoon more if she truly allowed her work to live/grow/fade-away on their own. Now, it seems like petty vanity and her "street cred" has definitely gone down a few notches in my book.
Jack, re your comment that "It seems quite petty that someone who has clearly grown in her career would take it so personally," where does it say she took it personally? What the post says is she used the fuss as an excuse to redo a mural she didn't like. Maybe she did take the stencil personally, and maybe you know that for a fact. But you have no way of knowing it from this post--because it doesn't say she did.
Billie, here's how it breaks down as based on this...
"...we noticed that someone was defacing Swoon posters around the city with the words 'Sold to MoMa'..."
Someone has gone over Swoon's work.
"Many people in the streetart community were offended by that stencil..."
A somewhat exaggerated claim is made that the stencils were seen as an outrage by the so-called "streetart community". I'm sure some were offended, but I doubt it was that big of an issue.
"Soon, a number of the 'Sold to MoMa' stencils were turned into 'Soldier for Nomads'."
Somene fights back! But then...
"Since Swoon didnt like the old mural at this site very much, the recent criticism was enough of a push and excuse for us to put up a new mural!"
While she is not quoted as saying straight out that she took it personally, the actions and claim "...enough of a push and excuse..." basically says it all. And in the case of Swoon, she has been on the record numerous times talking about how she enjoys the epemeral nature of her work and wants it to live/decay on the walls of this city as a natural/organic thing...
For her to go back too an old mural and redo it seems to fly in the face of that conceit and--given the circumstances--seems more of an act of territorially reclaiming the area more than anything else... Which seems very un-Swoon-like. At least based on what she's said and done in the past.
Hey Jack, do us all a favor and shut your fucking piehole, you judgemental prick.
"Hey Jack, do us all a favor and shut your fucking piehole, you judgemental prick."
Sorry I'm not swallowing this whole Swoon vs. 'haters' scenario. She's not the first street artist to have others go over her work. And it's not that shocking. We've all seen tags upon tags and stickers upon stickers, etc., etc., etc...
But it's heartwarming to see Gothamist's arbitrary commenting policy will allow for a personal attack like that to stay up.
First of all let me just say that I don't know Jack about the current street artists like Swoon and the like...
but back in the days of Mayor Koch, subway graffiti and tags there was none of this stupid bullshit attitude about putting a "throw-up" over a fellow artist that happened to get noticed and garner a bit of fame cuz back then no one was getting shows at galleries accept Keith Haring and Basquiat.
Back then it was all about rivalry and one-upmanship among graffiti crews....but also about respect.
I'm all for letting Swoons work fade and be part of a collective background of other artists but putting a ignorant jealous message right over it is fucking bullshit.
You got a problem with Swoon getting a bit of fame?
Instead of lashing out at her, direct your misguided anarchy towards the art world, not an artist simply expressing one's self.
this is the most retarded comment thread ever. this makes me wish we were talking about people putting their feet on subway seats.
Gothamist is a great Publicist...
jack, here's how it breaks down: looks like you could use a nice hug!
swoon is awesome. better than basquiat and keith haring in my book. yes, there is lots of going over (is that the term?) in the graf/streetart world. rules of the jungle, etc. but it always sucks when something beautiful is gone over by something less beautiful. i found the "sold to moma" commentary interesting and liked it when it was put up *next to* the work. but it's just plain ugly and insulting when it defaces the work. and for what it's worth, i'm very happy swoon is getting recognition by galleries and museums, and the installations there have been great, but her work doesn't sing there like it does on the streets...
SWOON caught here in the act of going over MISS17 and SEN4 (upper left corner of bottom pic), 2 people who have been writing in NYC years before there ever was a SWOON. I wonder why anyone would want to go over her?
...viva la revolución
There was a Swoon cutout on the front of my building for a few weeks (the same one that's on the left in that last photo) - alas, my clueless landlord had my super take it down. So lame!
everyone is ignoring the complete rules, there are none, anyone can paint over anyones shit, and they can paint over it again. what it comes down to is...swoon (great art) sold out and gave in to the exploiting money driven world of art, im not putting blame, but thats what she did, yes she is hard working and nice and etc etc etc. still the matter of the fact is no matter how much art she puts on the street it can never reconcile the fact that she is now being profited from and used for the benefit of the art world.