5 POINTS

     

This weekend, artists from the 5 Points, graffiti landmark in Long Island City, were awarded a 6.7 million settlement for the destruction of their work by a real estate developer. The ruling upholds the Visual Artist Rights Act that protects artists works in public places.      I have been documenting the walls for well over a decade, and, like everyone else, was stunned and saddened by the loss. It was internationally known and served as a major tourist destination from early on. Here is a small sampling from those years... Streetside 2007 a favorite photo-op spot space is the place, and artists from around the world would sign up for a spot. Winter in the courtyard/loading dock last visit, Winter 2013 all photos ©Ken Brown

A DIP IN THE "VERTICAL" FILES

                    Here's a new year dip into the "vertical" files...

 lookin' at you...

          Frisky skyscrapers downtown have proliferated 

               with an abundance of offspring condo towers 

that no one can afford to live in.

Staying in shape while under construction...

Trumpty Dumpty

when the shark bites...

Gandhi gets a makeover in Union Sq.

public art in the East Village...

Paint job

Back in the day...

waiting for an Uber in Bushwick...

all photos ©Ken Brown

CARTAGENA, COLOMBIA

     We were most fortunate to take a trip to Cartagena, Colombia recently. This ancient (1533) port city on the Caribbean coast has the bonus points of beautiful Spanish colonial architecture, crumbling edges, culture, color and a tropical climate.

          Gabriel Garcia Marquez, local and notable hero celebrated on a wall in   Gethsemane, a neighborhood with lots of street art, cafes and night life.

Streetart in Gethsemane

Levitating in one of the many public squares.

                 Extensive coral block walls surrounded and fortified the old city 

in the sixteenth century.

Local street market

   While walking home through a neighborhood park, we noticed 

     a group of people staring up into the branches. We looked up 

       and noticed the subject of the gaze fest was a three toed sloth, 

slowly nibbling leaves with a newborn baby hanging on.

Fishermen working their hand toss nets on a river just north of the city,

 I got to satisfy my obsession with hand painted signs and a boat trip through 

a labyrinth of mangrove swamps.

Iguanas were a familiar presence along rural pathways.

 

It was after Christmas, and Santa was hanging on.

Victor Nunez, a local hero was represented in this carved trunk

by Tomas Castro.

 Palenque women, fruit vendors, and a colorful presence in 

the markets everywhere.   

all photos ©Ken Brown

WOMEN'S MARCH 2018

     This past weekend, hundreds of thousands of people throughout the country joined the Women's    March 2018 and gave a sense of strength, solidarity and sustenance to a movement that grows by the moment.  Here is a small selection from the oceans of artwork that appeared in spontaneous fashion throughout the day.

                              all photos ©Ken Brown

END OF THE YEAR ODDITIES

                                 A modest gathering of end of the year oddball items...

aaaarrggggh...

the ecstasy of 99 cent land

subway peelings

serpent side street

say ahhhh

water the garden

all photos ©Ken Brown

PEOPLE TAKING PIX

             Welcome to 2018, and with this first dip into the new year, I return to a favorite
             subject, people taking pictures of people.

all photos ©Ken Brown