Global Graphica

Check it … we caught this wallpaper-like pattern on one of those red emergency 911 call-boxes that dot the streetscape every few blocks. This one was at the corner of Prince and Mott streets in Nolita, NYC. This could be cool on a t-shirt.

Ivan Corsa Photo

It’s not unusual in downtown Manhattan to see storefront shutters decorated (or defaced) with graf, street art or murals. This one on Elizabeth Street in Nolita is among the best we’ve ever seen. “Hello” shows the artist’s deft use of color and typographic sensibility. This rules.

Ivan Corsa Photo

Another shot of the “Hello” storefront shutter mural on Elizabeth Street in Nolita, downtown Manhattan, NYC.

Ivan Corsa Photo

Tongue firmly in a cheek, maybe. Biting political commentary at street level, certainly. Got to love this work on Elizabeth Street near Prince Street in Nolita.

Ivan Corsa Photo

This is an awesome piece of work: The words “FAME GAME” spelled out with a wood frame and affixed to the side of that cynosure of downtown Manhattan street art, the building at 11 Spring Street, in Nolita. This work is on the Elizabeth Street side of the building. The unoccupied 19th-century apartment house was, until recently, undergoing interior renovations by its owner, NY Post scion Lachlan Murdoch. The transformation of the building into a piece of large, luxury residential real estate for Murdoch all but guaranteed that the end was near for 11 Spring’s place as a venue for street artists. But Murdoch recently shocked the media world by announcing his resignation as publisher of his father’s, Rupert’s, newspaper. He also announced that he would move to Australia. The renovation work came to a sudden halt at 11 Spring, so for now expect it to remain a home for street-smart visual culture. See more shots of Fame Game below.

Ivan Corsa Photo

Another shot of “FAME GAME” at 11 Spring Street, in Nolita, NYC.

Ivan Corsa Photo

One more shot of “FAME GAME” at 11 Spring Street (on Elizabeth Street) in downtown Manhattan.

Ivan Corsa Photo

Here’s a small up by “JC” on Crsoby Street in SoHo, Manhattan’s famed lofts district.

Ivan Corsa Photo

Previously we posted an a shot of an up by “Claw.” The graf had the ubiquitous upturned cartoon-like ideogram of a paw and visible claws with a custom signifier, which is unqiue to each instance of this writer’s graf. In this case, the added signifier was “F.C.” So resurrected here is a clever switch-up on this concept: the main up is “F.C”" and the signifier is “Claw” rendered like a handwritten signature in small, black lettering.

Ivan Corsa Photo

Our girl “Claw” strikes again. This time with the “F.C.” signature. Go figure. This up is on a wall along Crobsy Street, the last of the great, dirty SoHo backstreets. Though this canyon-like lane looks largely untouched by the rampant commercialization that has made most of SoHo, in effect, a large outdoor shopping mall, looks are indeed deceiving. There’s is a Starbucks, a Bloomingdales and MoMA store along Crosby, not to mention the multimillion-dollar loft apartments and condos occupied by celebs like Lenny Kravitz and Courteney Love. But there’s still lots of graf and grime to remind us what SoHo was more or less like circa 1980. And graf writers like Claw lend it a degree of artistry in keeping with the nabe’s original re-generation by artists back in the day.

Sneakers at the time: Puma “Easy Rider”
Muzik at the time: Deerhoof “Green Cosmos”

Ivan Corsa Photo