In collaboration with The L.I.S.A. Project.
“Not strictly street art and not strictly in Little Italy, the new work is part of a commercial neighborhood improvement initiative that has brought pleasing murals by street artists to the tourist-frequented area of Little Italy over the past two years. Over the course of three days, the socially conscious Fairey and his brand Obey scored one wall for a symbol of peace during a summer that has pounded in our ears with war drums in Ukraine, Russia, Syria, Libya, Israel, Palestine, and Iraq, among other sites of strife on the world stage.
A slogan at the bottom of the banner says “Transform Our World With Creative Response”; a nebulous enough sentiment that may be interpreted a few ways, and somewhat ironic on this island that is no longer open to young struggling creatives unless they can pay the $5K monthly rents that this neighborhood often demands. But the burning fire in the chest of the dove — we’ll just take a chance and say that it stands for our collective yearning for peace and freedom.”
Excerpt from Jaime Rojo & Steven Harrington’s article “Shepard Fairey and the Future in New York’s Little Italy in HuffPost.
