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We wrote about someone we called "The Splasher" splattering - and essentially damaging - street art back in January. Since then, we've been following the Splasher's activities, as well as how street artists are reacting. Now the NY Times enters the Splasher fray again, this time with an article, "Defacer With Mystery Agenda Is Attacking Street Art" and a big front-of-Metro-section photograph of one of the Splasher's attacks in the Lower East Side. Sorry, we couldn't resist!
Update: Question from Gideon Fink Shapiro - Is there any irony in this guerilla [anti-]artist's receiving prominent recognition from the city's most respected, "bourgeois-liberal" newspaper? Pointedly, the article appears not in the Arts Section, but Metro / NY region. In its first mention of the Splasher (in late January), the Times referred to the Splasher as a vandal. Now, it's the "unknown protagonist."
In more recent Splasher news, it looks like he hit the Neckface ad at Bleecker and Lafayette Street.
See more Splasher pictures on Streetsy. And is it weird that when we found out the green paint on a building at Wooster and Grand was from Katsu, not the Splasher, we suddenly had a craving for katsudon?
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The decision to use the word "protagonist" is an odd one. While The Splasher may be the principal character in this story, all of his actions are derivative of and reactive to other artists and art institutions. His behavior is simply that of an opponent. That makes him an "antagonist".
Street art is becoming less and less about expression and more and more about who can come up with the cool obscure piece, or who can hit up the most spots. These people can get into galleries now. It is main stream. There is no reason to deface a beautiful building with a "val kilmer" tag. The "splasher" is deffinitely a reaction. Although some of the pieces splashed are pretty cool. Maybe a vigilanty "buffer" is the next step. Someone who goes in an repaints a surface so no one even knew there was street art present. No one would know...
I was in LA over the weekend, and saw some street art splashed in the same exact way depicted in these NYC pics. Is "the splasher" bi-coastal?
I love street art, and it's only better thanks to the splasher making waves. street artists, and all artists really, are derivative and reactive as well, he is just adding another layer. keep it up splashy, it's exciting!
Go Splasher!
i think the splasher and the street 'artists' should be waterboarded using paint.
I love that Neckface's ad was vandalized. Neckface is a prick who did nothing but ugly up my nabe- 23/lex. Fook him and his ugly azz shoes.
BTW, why is a loser like that being given shoe contracts? I hope the stores vandalized by him sue his azz.
Neckface. More like Dickface.
Graffiti sucks. Buy a canvas, losers.
Jealousy gets you nowhere.
1. I love that this kid is a product of Columbia and still drops the "bourgeoise" word.
2. I love love love that he thinks he's dada. Someone didn't pay attention in Modern Art History 101!
The irony is that vandalists are whining about their vandalism being vandalized.
Sometime soon, somebody will camp out or catch the splasher at the wrong place at the wrong time and that will be it.
Aren't we just adding fuel to the splasher's fire by giving him more coverage? He probably loves all this attention.
if street art is supposed to make you take notice and reexamine your daily life, then how is the splasher not a street artist? his splashings are getting noticed a hell of a lot more than any other piece of street art.
long live the splasher!
On second thought, I want to see this:
So Dash Snow is the ultimate rich kid artist, right? If he jizzed all over the splasher's manifestoes (in the same way that he jizzed on the skulls) he'd totally be stealing the splasher's thunder... and in a way that would be much more reactionary and in-your-face than just dumping some paint and slapping up a conceptually piss-poor manifesto.
The splasher would be SO PISSED. It would be great.
A topic that does not belong in the NYT or any news outlet for that matter. Let the delinquent, vandal criminals play out their dramas among themselves. Some of that stuff is stunning and but most is offensive scribble that is only encouraged by articles like this.
that neckface ad is the same as it's always been, not splashed, not vandalized...
I was originally very anti-Splasher. Though, I must say, going after neckface gets some points in my book. If anyone embodies his (tortured) logic, it's ol necky.
A topic that does not belong in the NYT or any news outlet for that matter. Let the delinquent, vandal criminals play out their dramas among themselves. Some of that stuff is stunning but unfortunately most is offensive scribble that is only encouraged by articles like this.
From IRAKNYC (excuse the language, if it offends...):
Where do I start?
This is the best thing that’s happened in NYC since the Yankees won the World Series.
Fuck high and mighty Street Fart(ists) and their fans!
It’s all vandalism.
Don’t cry. You took the chance of getting arrested putting up your shit,
and now it’s there for me to diss.
They (the aforementioned streetfartists) don’t respect any graffiti on the walls under their shit anyway. So FUCK THEM!
I’m going to diss some Willy B street art today Goddamn it! (I’m soo riled up!)
I’m mad enought to kill someone today.
OOh!
Furthermore, this all reminds me a bit of CAP in Style Wars... highly amusing all of it.
Thank you Ck. I rest my case.
if it offends out of towner yuppies and cranky old douchebags, all the better. keep getting up vandals!
Why do I have a gut feeling that Peter Vallone, Jr. may be behind the whole Splasher thing?
How is revolution as a commodity any less offensive than the commodification of art?
$20 says the Splasher has a huge collection of Che t-shirts.
I actually agree with 15/18 if this is a hot topic of conversation within the street art community then so be it. It affects the street artists, and by proxt building owners. The Splasher is a frustrated rich kid douchebag (none of the street art heads I know are) and its lame that hes getting so much shine. Now go tend to your business street art jockers...
You'd think with the bazillion hidden cameras all over the city, at least ONE of them would've spotted the Splasher.
Could the splasher please do something about those ANNOYING PATRICK MIMRAN billboards around 10th and 25/26? I'm so sick of being forced to read that no-talen hack's witless sayings!