New Yorkers love art. After all, the city is home to the largest gallery district in the world with more than 1300 museums and galleries. The entire spectrum of contemporary art is represented, a true paradise for me. And New Yorkers like to buy art. Last weekend, Mana Contemporary held its second Open House. The local studios and galleries opened their doors to the public again. The crowd wasn’t quite as big as at the first “Open House”, but we did have a few interested visitors. And this time I sold some small paper works and I am very happy about the appreciation.
But if you want to see really great art, you just have to step outside. Jersey City in particular is known for large-scale street art paintings that cover entire skyscrapers. In fact, the 54-square-kilometer city has more than 100 unique murals, and more are on the way. Many of these are part of the extensive and annual Jersey City Mural Arts Program, an initiative that spotlights emerging local, national and international artists and transforms Jersey City into a true outdoor art gallery. (https://www.jcmap.org)
The Mana Contemporary building is also decorated with street art works, except for the entrance area. One of the most famous artists in this genre is Shepard Fairey. The inhabitants owe him the painting of a huge wave with the Statue of Liberty in the background. This is located right at the beginning of the pedestrian zone in Newark Street. Fairey, on the other hand, is best known as the designer who created the Hope poster featuring Obama’s portrait. Another highlight is the special tribute to David Bowie. The likeness was created by the Brazilian artist Eduardo Kobra and can be admired in the city centre. It measures almost 55 meters in height and is considered to be one of the largest murals designed by a spray paint team. With its unique and huge murals, Kobra is also a world record holder and has entries in the Guinness Book of Records. It’s really fun to move the camera around the houses and always discover new painted house facades. Sometimes, however, you can also find funny people who like to pose in front of the murals to be photographed. It’s even funnier when these people accompany me without being asked, so that I can always stand in front of the painted wall as a human motif.
Grafrather artist Claudia Hassel will be working in New York until the end of June. In the SZ she describes her experiences every Monday.
—Claudia Hassel is chairwoman of the artists’ association Fürstenfeldbruck, she lives and works in Grafrath.
(Photo: Private)
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