LoMan Fest Paints the Town With Homers, Hulks, and Ai Wei Weis

Can you smell it in the air? Maybe it’s best you don’t, noxious spray paint fumes and all. LoMan Arts fest hath begun and with it a whole new array of street art-bedecked public features.

In the two days since artists were let loose on Lower Manhattan, a green Homer Avocad’oh courtesy of Hanksy has appeared on the corner of Kenmare and Mulberry and Ron English’s new pink temper tot popped up alongside its fellow long-standing green hulk compadre (they were created in the images of English’s daughter Zephyr and son Mars, respectively.)

“New York City is already a vibrant, amazing place. I just wanted to enhance that experience,” said Wayne Rada, founder of the L.I.S.A Project and organizer of LoMan. “This is not about covering up vandalism, it’s about working in harmony with the graffiti and street art community. I mean come on, who doesn’t want to see a four-story-tall pink baby hulk?”

Speaking of which, street artist BD White – who describes his stenciled tags as “mindful vandalism” – is tearing through Mulberry Street, leaving no street pole unturned. Together with artistic collaborator JPO providing color, White has chosen seven “political figures” as the focus for his stencils.

“We’re doing 17 bases from Canal to Broome,” White said, mid-way through an Ai Wei Wei. Having left his mark through large sections of Williamsburg and the Lower East Side in the past, White has particularly enjoyed this experience of creating art without having to resort to extra-legal measures. “It’s been really great with tons of people stopping in to see what we’re doing, it’s a nice change.”

If you’re in the Soho area this weekend, be sure to stop by the “Sculpture Garden” at 114 Mulberry Street. Apart from admiring Zephyr and Mars in all their glory, you’ll also have the chance to see The DR¡F! going at a seven-foot-tall statue of David, “using a splatter technique reminiscent of Pollock”, noted Rada.

For memento’s sake, here are some more shots of the works in progress.