Monday, December 15, 2014

Protest art against wasteful spending in LIC

From DNA Info:

A $515,000 plan to erect a sculpture of a pink reclining figure by artist Ohad Meromi on Jackson Avenue as part of a public art program, has drawn fire from some residents, with one of them creating a protest sculpture of their own.

An angular structure painted with vibrant colors and wooden hearts appeared this week on Jackson Avenue near 23rd Street, near where the Department of Cultural Affairs is planning to install Meromi's sculpture on on Jackson Avenue at 43rd Avenue, appeared this week.

A sign on it critiqued the cost of the city's project, which it identified as $450,000, though city officials say it will actually run $515,000.

"This is not against the artist. It is against the misuse of our tax dollars," the sign on the protest sculpture read.

"It cost $350 dollars to make this sculpture which we are donating to Long Island City and there are many local artists that would do the same so this money could be spent on something constructive like education."

It's unclear who was responsible for the piece, which was placed on the sidewalk on Jackson Avenue near the Court Square subway station.

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ha! Good for them! Let's see the city try to justify 1000x the cost for something just as hideous now!

Gary the Agnostic said...

Way to go, unknown artists!!! Unfortunately, I don't think that the powers-that-be in Long Island City will allow this to be here for very long.

Anonymous said...

They dont wan't "art", they want a name to display.

Anonymous said...

Could we get another artist to scale the fence and place a piece of protest art where civic virtue once sat?

Jerry Rotondi said...

Correct me if I'm wrong but wasn't 5 Pointz (now in the process of demolition) directly in view of where pretty pink would be placed? If it weren't for that backstabbing back room political crook Jimmy Van Bramer , 5 Pointz would still be standing. Now that was a huge draw for tourists visiting NYC. 5 Pointz got even more visitors than PS 1. That meant money for the LIC economy. Van Bramer is nothing less than a Judas goat who led 5 Pointz great art to slaughter. The Biblical Judas got 30 pieces of silver for his act of betrayal. Councilman Jimmy got about $10,500 in campaign contributions from the Wolkoff family for his betrayal of 5 Pointz. How does that translate wih inflation and exchange rates?

Anonymous said...

Bravo!

Whoever erected this instructive piece of dreck should consider running for a Council seat in 2017. More initiative and rational sense in this fellow or lady than the whole bunch of 'em!

Anonymous said...

5 Pointz was a privately owned building so I doubt there was much Van Bramer could have done to save it. But as Council Member, he voted to approve the high-rise glass box that will take its place.

Jimmy Rotondi said...

Excuse me ...but Councilman Jimmy..."the cultural czar"...would not even recuse himself from voting to approve the Wolkoff mega project when he was voting in the city council. I thought that gay men were iknown for their forward thinking and support of the arts...even the avant guard. He's a lying cur. Jimmy wouldn't even sit down to have a serious conversation with the group that wanted to landmark 5 Pointz. Instead he was The Wolkoff "pussy boy" (as many have called him).

Anonymous said...

There have been many cases where privately owned important world art sites which 5 Pointz was, that land swap arrangements were made by NYC to preserve them for posterity. Jimmy boy had no love for 5 Pointz nor any understanding of its value on the world stage. This backward bumpkin takes his orders from developers who supply his campaign cash. Jimmy ain't a leader just a follower. He' a bottom , uh, feeder.

Anonymous said...

Excuses, excuses! Back door Van Bramer sucks up to the real estae industry. He wants to move up to mayor someday, we suppose.

Jerry Rotondi said...

Pardon me. My I pad malfunctioned. I am not Jimmy. I am Jerry.

Astoria Avenger said...

We here that there is asbestos buried in the part of 5 Pointz that's at the end of Davis street. Is that true or just a rumor? In the meantime you # 7 riders had best hold your breath as the train rattles past the rubble.

Anonymous said...

Watch out for Joe Conley. He left CB2 to run for office. He's one of those snakes who was driven out of Ireland by Saint Patrick.

Anonymous said...

Do not criticize Jimmy No Brainer who is amazed at all the people that are proud to stand with him.

As to us, we are amazed that they would say those things and do those things, but then, again, money can buy you a lot of things .... except respect.

JQ said...

hey its that ebola strain mutant hipster statue!

this is the deal,they only support art that doesn't offend or provoke people into thinking.the last thing I saw when I went to 5pointz was a mural that depicted fish eating each other,the larger the fish the more uglier it was.great statement of the economic state this city and the world in general.

this artist and a lot of other public art recently are the work of hacks.in a unsettling way,a lot of the development going on there with the glass bullshit towers probably counts as acceptable city funded "art"



Anonymous said...

Didnt you all hear?

ITS FREE MONEY!!

Lord Keynes and all that jazz.

The Federal Reserve has a printing press!!!!

Stop whining and embrace your overlords.

Jackson Heights Johnny said...

I have seen pictures of the other "sculpture"; this is FAR better!

Anonymous said...

They destroy real art in 5Pointz and try to create other "art" in the area? Senseless. I second that comment from the other poster, 5Pointz brought tons of visitors to the area- international visitors. No one is coming to visit glass boxes, sorry to inform you. Though it really doesn't matter to the political crooks does it? LIC has long been ruined.