(Almost) never a fan.

I generally loathe cats. Small cats, fat cats, and in this case oversized artistic cats. Doesn't matter. If you can't fetch, you're not for me.

There was only one cat I ever liked, and he spent most of his time chewing on a sofa cushion and living in a bag.

Enough said.

Not quite spring.

The temperatures have been teasing us lately. Warm nights. Cold lunch hours. The flowers aren't here just yet, so this subway art will just have to do for now.

A penny saved...

Most of the subway stations I frequent day to day are in fair condition. Basic white smudged tiles reflect the inadequate florescent light. Occasionally the waft of homelessness lingers through the air. Many times the platforms seem crowded, only to be outdone by the arriving sardine can.

But for whatever reason, some stations receive a little more love from the MTA powers that be. The public art displayed in the 14th Street/8th Ave stop was commissioned as part of the MTA's Arts for Transit program. Designed by Tom Otterness, Life Underground is a pleasantly quirky collection of characters. Otterness' work can be found all over town, including a certain frog that was one of my first shots.

Weekend update is on deck.

Apologies for the lack of a weekend update. I return from vacation on Tuesday, 7/14 and will be sure this place is up and running (on time) by the end of the night. Here's a taste of the weekend:





Cheers!

Why can't California fashion (and its marketing team) stay in California?

After reading about its doom in February, I've been meaning to make the DKNY billboard at the corner of Houston and Broadway my photo of the day. Teenybopper magnate Abercrombie & Fitch bought the rights to the space and plans to promote its California-inspired Hollister brand on the 15,000 square foot space. Shame.

The DKNY ad was originally criticized as a stimulus to gentrification of the Soho/Noho area more than twenty years ago. The simple, black and white NYC montage became an unofficial source of both city and national pride for New Yorkers following 9/11 (notice the twin towers at the top of the N). At first considered an easy target for local graffiti taggers, the image has been mostly left alone over the past 7+ years.

Without progress a city perishes, but I'd rather not see this be part of the process. What's next, the ceramic tiles in the West Village?

stikman strikes again.

Late night/early morning on my way home. Corner of 1st Ave and St. Marks.

Mystery solved.

I feel as though I see these little guys everywhere - always on the ground and always in street crossings. I first spotted the robot-like character in my neighborhood when I moved in back in 2006. Thinking he’d be gone with the first rain/sleet/snow of the season, I was surprised when the little guy survived through to the spring. Two years later he’s still kicking around. I’ve long assumed that it was part of an underground guerrilla marketing campaign for something I had no interest in learning about. Not until I started researching for this post did I come to discover that, by all (limited) accounts, stikman is art in the truest sense.

I uncovered one article from the Washington Post about stikman’s presence in DC:

Is Bob really stikman's creator? I hope so. He was soft-spoken and thoughtful, unassuming in his desire for anonymity and concerned enough about safety that he places his stikman images near corners so pedestrians can look at them from the curb. The goal is not to provoke, Bob says, but simply to cause those gazing down to pause and wonder.

I appreciate stikman now more than I have in the past two plus years. Have you seen these in your respective city? Where have you seen stikman around NYC? Leave your comments below.

Related: A collection of stikman photos. [Flickr]

German engineering and art mix at Grand Central.

From now until April 6 Grand Central Terminal is home to two BMW art exhibits, the Expression of Joy display and the BMW Art Car World Tour. The former is the final product of a joint effort between artist Robin Rhode and filmmaker Jake Scott. Rhode used the BMW Z-4 Roadster as his "paintbrush" to masterfully express his vision. To my surprise the actual exhibit, although good to see in person, is upstaged by the official website. Even if you can check out the physical exhibit, I highly recommend spending some time on the website.

The second piece of the exhibit is an excerpt from BMW's traveling Art Car World Tour (background here, thank you NYTimes). The project started in 1975 as a way for BMW to demonstrate its commitment to the arts. Four of the 16 cars are showcased at GCT - the Art Cars are those designed by Andy Warhol (pictured below), Roy Lichtenstein, Frank Stella and Robert Rauschenberg. Much to the appreciation of this not-so-up-on-the-artists-showcased, BMW provides background information on each car with the aid of an 800 number. If you'd like to learn more about the cars, their artists, and the back story to BMW's relationship with them, call 1-888-746-0460. Enter one of the codes below to learn more once the call connects:

Robin Rhode (Expression of Joy) - 10
Frank Stella - 20
Andy Warhol - 30
Roy Lichtenstein - 40
Robert Rauschenberg - 50

Andy Warhol:






Robert Rauschenberg:






Roy Lichtenstein:





Frank Stella:






More photos from the Expression of Joy:











Cheers.

Just another garbage day.

Passed this on the way to work. The become your dream graffiti tag (click the image to enlarge) is the work of local artist James Da La Vega. Hailing from East Harlem, he owns a small art gallery on St. Marks Pl. I admit that I've never been inside the shop, but I really don't feel the need. Daily art pops up on the streets either as graffiti markings on garbage like this example or as chalked sketches on the sidewalks. I wouldn't be surprised if more of De La Vega's work shows up here during the warmer months.