Art Becomes Trash Becomes Art

In the East Village, trash and art become one another so quickly, your head might spin!

I was walking across East 12th Street this past weekend, when I saw this assemblage of both:

Assemblage.

The Chico mural is art, and the trash cans hold trash, but there are two slashed paintings, now trash, and I took a picture of it, so it's art again!

Only in the East Village!

#eastvillage #12thstreet #murals #chico #paintings #trashcans

Secret Mural Messages

I was walking past the new-ish mural on the RCN building on Avenue C and East 6th Street, when something caught my eye:

In case you don't see it, here is a close-up:

LAROC••CHICO.

The muralists are including commemorations to past and present graffiti artists! You'll also see "Steiner" on the R in the first picture.

I wonder how many more there are — every letter is probably a commemoration to someone!

#eastvillage #murals #graffiti #artists #laroc #chico #steiner

Don Juan Mural

You know Chico didn't paint this mural:

Cool mural on East 4th Street.

…because it looks exactly like Don Juan, a barber on East 4th Street, between Avenues C and D. Plus, there's a lot going on in it; Chico's murals are simpler.

Chico is known for the number of tribute murals he paints. Lately, he's been doing tributes to celebrities. This is one he painted of Robin Williams:

Did Robin Williams have green eyes?

He recently painted a tribute to the new Queen of New York City, Taylor Swift! It's outside the East Village though, so I don't have a picture of it.

Sorry Chico!

#eastvillage #chico #donjuanbarbershop #4thstreet #avenuec #avenued #artists #murals

Chico

There is a very popular muralist in the East Village who goes by the name Chico. He paints murals all over the East Village.

Croxley's Ale House is a popular bar on Avenue B that paid (probably) Chico to paint a mural of a band from Queens, that was very popular in the East Village about 35 years ago, called The Ramones:

The Ramones, by Chico.

I mentioned The Ramones in another post. They were most famous for their songs "Rock and Roll High School", and "Pet Sematary", that was used in the 1989, Stephen King movie with the same title.

You might think that this mural was done by Moe, or Papa, or MC, but I assure you, it was Chico. Take a closer look at the bottom/right, just before "MC". That's his signature!

#eastvillage #croxleysalehouse #theramones #avenueb #chico #murals #artists #art