Subway graffiti pioneers CRASH and DAZE have just finished their collaborative mural on Mulberry Street for the L.I.S.A. Project. Both started painting trains in the mid to late 70s and by the 80s, were part of a small handful of artists who were able to transition from transit property to the galleries. To this day, they share a studio in the Bronx where they continue to make art and showcase their work.
DAZE told ANIMAL that their wall in Little Italy is an ode to the end of summer, its centerpiece a fire hydrant bursting in the sunset, flanked by eye motifs.
“Little Italy isn’t exactly a neighborhood that you connect street art and graffiti with,” said DAZE, happy to contribute to its changing landscape. “I used to live not too far from here. Since then, the sensibility towards all this is completely different, but the spirit remains the same.”
“I used to come hang out here all the time,” says CRASH. “They’re doing the downtown area which is cool. There is so much going on and this sets the tone.” His Lichtenstein-esque half-closed eye gives the colorful collaged piece an nostalgic touch. So long, summer.
(Photos: Aymann Ismail/ANIMALNewYork)
