Blanco Freezes Street Art to Wall in Mongolia at -25 Degrees

New Yorkers are now complaining bitterly about the cold January weather because, well, it’s our job. In a city where opinions collide into each other daily about all topics like bumper cars at Coney Island, you can always get someone to complain about the weather, no matter the season.

Brooklyn native and Street Artist Blanco has you all beat with his first installation on a wall that uses only water – because that’s the only thing that works when the temperature is -25 degrees fahrenheit.

“Its currently -20F outside my ger,” he says as he refers to the house he is staying in as he talks to us from the the frigid lands he is visiting for a while. “The overnight low is expected to be -36F and this isn’t even bad yet.” Okay we get the point, sounds disgusting.

So what about that new wheat-paste he just made of his friend Nandia?

“Nandia”, Blanco in Mongolia (photo © Patrick Findler)

“Last week I did that experiment where you throw boiling water up in the air and it didn’t hit the ground because it froze into an icy mist in mid-air. It has not been above freezing here for about two months and it wont be above freezing again for a couple more,” he says.

“This makes it almost impossible to wheat-paste anything for about 4 months of the year. The paste will freeze to the surface of a wall before you can even get the paper on it. I have a couple pieces waiting for the spring. But I decided to try something new.”

“On New Years Day I froze a piece to a door using water instead of paste. It should stay there for a couple months until the thaw sets in. The climate will dictate the lifespan,” describes Blanco. Let us know when the crocuses are popping up and maybe we’ll come and take a look.