A scintillating selection of images this week as we travel to a Jersey boardwalk and the erupting Brooklyn scene called Bushwick Collective. The trio of foxes by Bordalo is still rocking after a year, and the small flood of international and local talent has once again transformed walls in the formerly industrial, still gritty Brooklyn neighborhood that has welcomed about 400 artists to paint here since 2011.
We had the great honor of hosting a panel discussion with 5 Taiwanese street artists this Thursday as part of the first Artist Talk ever for Bushwick Collective’s 15th Anniversary. All week, those five plus one other OG from Taipei all painted walls here – ALLO, Vasstar, Candy Kuo, Colasa, Mr. OGay, and BLACK ZAO brought high technical skills and Taiwan flavor to the already international scene here. The long weekend events included roof parties, DJ sets, and a roiling, joyful open stage with hotly spit missives that pose and bear witness to life from some of our best rap and hip-hop artists who know the streets and rightly celebrate them. As usual, it’s so local, and so international here in Brooklyn.
Stylistically, the vertical rappellers have taken over NYC these last three years or so, and overnight Thursday, one of the highest focal points was taken over by a wildly striped crew of current visual kings with aesthetic and cultural currency – taking everyone by surprise with a rapid fire battle of styles side by side – see below.
Here’s our weekly interview with the streets, this week featuring Allo, Ashley Hodder, Black Zao, Bordallo II, Chris Haven, Dad Father Son, Dae Law, Degrupo, Dzel, EXR, H Kubed, Mad Vaillan, Mendoza, Nick Sweetman, Optimo, Psylent Mushroom, Robert Vargas, Shane, Smoe, Stuo Backup, Werds, and Zach Curtis.
Our hearts are full of love this Valentine’s weekend for you, dear reader.
A new study shows New York’s artist population is declining for the first time in decades due largely to housing costs, and most people here will agree with that conclusion. Brooklyn-based Street Artist Marka27 (Victor Quiñonez) found that censorship is strong on campus when his exhibition addressing immigration enforcement was cancelled at the University of North Texas, yet another example of universities not standing up for free speech but suppressing it. Meanwhile, Street artist Ernest Zacharevic has filed a lawsuit against AirAsia for unauthorized use of his famous Penang mural imagery, highlighting ongoing battles over ownership and reproduction of street art. In graffiti news, Street Art NYC has a brief interview with curator Christine DeFazio on her Tales from the Ghost Yard show in the Bronx. In Paris A Valentine’s Day exhibition yesterday brought together street and contemporary artists Clément Herrmann, Mr Byste, FinDAC, Uri Martinez, Belin, and Sandra Chevrier in a live, public-facing showcase.
The Federal government continues its campaign to remove people’s histories from public space, most visibly this week with the removal of the Pride flag from the Stonewall National Monument — the symbolic birthplace of the modern LGBTQ rights movement — before local officials and activists raised it again in defiance. New York Governor Kathy Hochul criticized the removal, calling it “hurtful”, noting that the LGBTQ community has been “discriminated against and oppressed for much of its history,” adding, “The Pride Flag has meant a lot to all of us here in New York and to those who come around the world to see this place.”
New York’s Public Art Fund is featuring a number of artists in 2026 whose paths have crossed with street art, including Barbara Kruger, whose early wheatpaste posters and later bus-shelter text works established a new language of the street; Nina Chanel Abney, whose large-scale murals and façade projects have extended the public wall tradition with socio-political critique; and Jane Dickson, whose decades of street-level and transit-based projects in Times Square and the subway system connect directly to New York’s urban visual culture. It’s encouraging to see institutions recognize artists whose methods have long existed outside the mainstream—even if that recognition often arrives only after the market has validated the work.
Here’s our weekly interview with the street, this week featuring Appleton Pictures, Atomik, BK Foxx, Chuck U, Dee Dee, EASC, Homesick, IMK, NESC, and Siner One.
Queens, New York-based Duendita often moves between NYC and Berlin contexts. “Mind” reads more as an intimate, interior/performance piece rather than a particular place.
Welcome to BSA’s Images of the Week! It’s Superbowl day! Bad Bunny at half-time!
This week in NYC art news, vandalism of a politically charged mural is causing “debate“, an exhibition at the Noguchi Museum reimagines the city through unrealized designs, and the School of Visual Arts saw their chair of MFA Art Practice program resign after it was revealed that he featured several times in the latest release of the Epstein files. According to ArtReview, “Ross was formerly director of the Boston ICA, the Whitney and SFMoMA, and had been chair of the MFA Art Practice program at the SVA since 2009”.
Also, Tony from down the block is trying to figure out how to get a dozen roses for your sister Chambray before Valentine’s Day without blowing his entire paycheck from the funeral home, and the pressure is on for couples to make some cinematic gesture this week. But honestly, an afternoon wandering a museum together, followed by a pizza slice and a soda under fluorescent lights, still does the job better than any prix-fixe romance package ever could. These are not times to break the bank. Don’t stress; as a certain Chicago street artist used to say, “Don’t Fret.”
Here’s our weekly interview with the street, this week featuring ANSO, Ben Keller, CP Won, Frank Ape, Hoax, Homesick, Jose Scott13, Loose, Salami Doffy, Tyxna, Vnice World, Noeli, and Xara Thustra.
Murals like this new one in Manhattan, and an earlier example in Bushwick, have been appearing in cities including Washington, Miami, Los Angeles, and Chicago, depicting Iryna Zarutska, a victim of violence in Charlotte last summer. The campaign positions her death as a reductionist symbol within a broader, loosely defined narrative that unrestrained “street” crime has overtaken American cities. Her image — carefully selected and conventionally appealing to a certain segment — functions as a cherry-picked face for that message, which some critics view as echoing earlier eras of racially coded fear-based rhetoric that is on display again. Members of Chicago’s Ukrainian community have also pushed back, describing the murals as a cynical tactic and noting, according to local reporting, that the victim’s family was not consulted. The Guardian says the funders have ties to the MAGA movement and billionaire Elon Musk, and it asks, “Are they weaponizing her memory?” The accused attacker’s mom told the local newspaper that her son suffered from severe mental health problems. Whatever the case is, some on the street have decided the whole thing is sus, as the gamer kids say, and have been vandalizing the murals.
It’s our first snowy December day with swirling clouds of the white snowflakes swirling around you with cigarette butts and potato chip bags and pine snippings from the Christmas tree salesman name Pierre on you block. The First night of Hanukkah is tonight — best wishes to our Jewish friends and families across the city. Menorah lightings and Festival of Lights gatherings are popping off in Brooklyn at Grand Army Plaza, down at the South Street Seaport, and over on Pier 17, where a LEGO menorah is doing what LEGO does best: being quietly indestructible. Expect music, food, treats, face painting — the whole megillah.
The holiday hum (and humbug) carries through the month with holiday markets at Union Square, Columbus Circle, and Bryant Park. For all your ice capades, New York offers Bryant Park (Midtown), Wollman Rink (Central Park South), LeFrak Center at Lakeside (Prospect Park), World Ice Arena (Flushing Meadows–Corona Park), and the FDR Drive (Lower East Side) after it floods, weather permitting. Yes, that tree is lit and doing its annual job of reminding everyone they live in New York, not wherever they came from. Add in these amazing periodic Fifth Avenue street closures when you can literally run on the streets — these rare moments when pedestrians get the upper hand — and the city briefly becomes what it’s always threatening to be: festive, walkable, and almost humane.
Of course, depending on which headline you read, all joy is apparently set to expire on January 1. Certain tabloids would have you believe the city is one Mamdani mayoral term away from collapse, chaos, and moral freefall. That’s one way to welcome the new guy. But if you’ve lived here longer than five minutes, you already know the script — New York absorbs the panic, shrugs off the noise, adapts, and keeps moving. Ideally on foot. Preferably with a hot chocolate.
Zohran Mamdani is a New Yorker, part of the long line of immigrants and children of immigrants who built this city and, frankly, the country. While we’re at it — love to our Muslim friends and families across the five boroughs. New York works best when everybody’s in the room. Happy Hanukkah, Christmas, Solstice, Kwanzaa — and to everyone else, good luck making it to January.
This week, our interview with the streets has a Miami hangover and a New York winter cold snap (slap), with new murals, graffiti pieces, and street art conversing with you as you march to the subway, laundromat, or ice-skating rink. Artists and writers and street scholars this week include: Atomik, Clown Soldier, Cruze Oner, Daniel Lloyd, Dreamscape, EXR, Hiero Veiga, INFOE, Kams Art, Lexi Bella, Mesper, Mr. June, Mucky, Shepard Fairey, Tati, Tesoe, Werds, Zoot, and Zwon.
Fourth of July weekend stretched into at least three days this year for many New Yorkers—some staying in town to catch the spectacular fireworks displays over the East River between Brooklyn and Manhattan, others escaping to Long Island, Upstate New York, or New Jersey. Chasing cooler air and a patch of green, they rent, borrow, and maybe even steal cars for the chance to go camping, canoeing, fire up a barbecue, and revisit Aunt Eloise’s legendary Ambrosia Salad—a chilled “salad” of mini marshmallows, canned mandarin oranges, crushed pineapple, coconut, and Cool Whip. Anyone want a hot dog?
Back in the city, stoop sales and block parties occupy the streets, murals are going up, and conversations drift between the Fourth of July Subway Series games with the Mets and Yankees, the newly approved rent-control rate hikes, and the eye-popping sums raised by the city’s elite to defeat the Socialist Democrat currently leading the mayoral race.
There’s also unease over the Big Beautiful Billsigned by the president on July 4th—an enormous, controversial budget that offers major tax breaks for the wealthy while cutting food and healthcare programs for the poor. It’s being called one of the most consequential—and divisive—pieces of legislation in decades. As you read over the text and see where the money is disappearing from and who it is going to, it may appear to you as a dark mirror version of a well-known children’s story, like a “Reverse Robinhood.” Yet, the debt will still increase…
Here’s a glimpse of the latest graffiti, street art, and murals captured in this week’s survey, including Aida Miro, Frankie Botz, Humble, Juliana Ruiz, Kong Savage, Lao Art, Lina Montoya, Minhafofa, MSK Crew, Musicoby, OSK, Paolo Tolention, Phetus88, Pixote, Qzar, Rambo, Sonni, Steve Sie, Tess, and Zoot.
NYC’s 55th annual Pride March down 5th Avenue kicks off today, themed “Rise Up: Pride in Protest,” taking on a decidedly defiant stance on equality for all. Suppose you are in the subway, dance club, or park in Bushwick, Chinatown, or midtown. Like every June, it’s a lavender parade all weekend, with all members of the LGBTQUA+ communities from around the country and the world laughing, dancing, fighting, posing, and canoodling.
Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani clinched the Democratic nomination here this week after defeating former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, possibly igniting a polarized reaction across NYC politics. Hm, wonder if anyone will mention his religion in the next few months. What do you think? But, de facto, he’s going to be the next mayor – unless Bloomberg wants to blow more money before the November election.
Here’s our weekly interview with the street, this week featuring Andre Trenier, Dirt Cobain, Drones, Dzel, Fear Art, Jappy Agoncillo, Jason Naylor, Jeff Rose, Kam S. Art, Manik, Modomatic, Par, Riot, Senisa, Tom Bob, Werds, and Zimer.
The White House is running a masterclass in rapid-fire policy moves, deploying a ‘shock and awe’ strategy that keeps everyone—reporters, analysts, and politicians alike—scrambling to keep up. This week alone, the administration launched a ‘Faith Office’, proposed a federal task force to tackle anti-Christian bias,slapped sanctions on ICC officials looking into U.S. and Israeli military actions, floated the idea of turning Gaza into the ‘Riviera of the Middle East’, and sent Congress a $7 billion arms sale notification for Israel.It’s a policy blitzkrieg that leaves no time to process one move before the next headline drops. Some of these proposals will gain traction, and others will fizzle, but the message is clear: the news cycle belongs to them. We haven’t heard a lot of policy changes that repair the holes in the social safety net and help the poor and struggling middle class yet, but we’re sure those are just around the corner.
Meanwhile, New York City Mayor Eric Adams is catching heat to clarify a contentious ICE memo. Critics say it gives federal immigration agents way too much leeway, potentially endangering city employees and immigrant communities alike. We’re not cracking any jokes here because it’s too serious, and too many people living in New York are impacted. The anti-immigrant fever that has infected parts of the US has thus far not surfaced here in any appreciable quantity, perhaps because New York has traditionally been proud to be a city of immigrants.
While you won’t find murals explicitly tackling these new and rekindled political firestorms (yet), the chaotic, overlapping narratives on NYC’s walls feel like a fitting reflection of the moment. Confusion, authority, resistance, chaos, cats—it’s all out there, spray-painted and wheat-pasted for anyone paying attention.
Here’s our weekly conversation with the street, this week featuring Shiro, Sticker Maul, Werds, One Rad Latina, Dzel, George Collagi, Jocelyn Tsajh, Quaker Pirate, Guadalupe Rosales, and Lokey Calderon.
Here’s our weekly conversation with the street, this week featuring Homesick, Degrupo, BK Foxx, Werds, EXR, Manuel Alexandro, Great Boxers, Wild West, Fred Tomaselli, Mr. Mustart, Imok, and Sokem.
Most ghouls, goblins, Spidermen, mermaids, Joe Biden Zombies, and P Diddy Daycare Workers made their rounds at parties and trick-or-treat last night. But let’s be honest—the spooky, silly, absurd and ffft-up freaky fun isn’t likely to leave us soon! Costumed characters will be haunting the city all week, building up to the main event Thursday, All Hallows Eve. That’s when the East Village Halloween Parade—a true New York tradition—will bring 100,000 costumed participants and two million spectators into the streets for a wild night of celebration.
In a city that already has a bold and often experimental sense of fashion, Halloween is a chance for New Yorkers to push their creativity to the limit and bring something extraordinary to the street, subway, and club.
Because of the current tenor built and supported dark-money-funded campaigns, most people will tell you they are more afraid of Election Day this year than Halloween.
Stay safe ya’ll!
Here’s our weekly conversation with the street, this week featuring: Blanco, Degrupo, BK Foxx, Clint Mario, Manuel Alegandro, TBanbox, Raphael Federici, Joao Varela, and DZIT.
New York is slamming, as ever, when it comes to new street art and graffiti popping up in expected and unexpected places. Here’s our weekly conversation with the street, this week featuring: The Yok, Sheryo, Lexi Bella, Calicho Art, Humble, IMK, Manuel Alejandro, EXR, Zoot, Great Boxers, Thobekk, Aaron Wrinkle, OTOM, Poor Rupert, Paige Bowman, Elena Ohlander, MUSKA, Motomichi Nakamura, and TABBY.
New York State Governor Kathy Hochul wants to classify some graffiti as a hate crime. The arts and culture press has been writing alarming headlines about this new proposal by the Gov, but the burden lies on the lawyers who need to prove that the intention of the graffiti writer was to target a protected class of people with a hateful screed. Wonder if they will hand out tickets for poor handstyles, too.
New York neighbors and peers of the orange man tried years ago to warn the country against him – and yet he was elected. Now Trump has to pay fines for “ill-gotten” gains totaling $453 million. He really hit the jackpot when the judge barred him and his two sons Friday from serving as an officer or director of any New York corporation. Leading the country, presumably, is still fine.
A day after the verdict, he was hawking golden Trump sneakers. Let’s see, $453 million divided by $399.00…
Here is our weekly conversation with the street, this week including Stikman, Homesick, BK Foxx, Calicho Art, Werds, Goog, LA2, TBanbox, ICU463, Propa, NAY183, Bukse, Joser, Vicer, Faire, Shicks, Angel Ortiz, Mr. Doodle, and Albie.
New Yorkers are having a grand celebration this weekend as the Year of the Dragon begins, and traditional lion and dragon dances wend their way through Chinatowns in Manhattan and Queens. You’ll be seeing lots of red, hopefully getting some money in red envelopes (hongbao), and eating dumplings (symbolizing wealth), fish (representing surplus and abundance), and sticky rice cakes. To all our neighbors celebrating, “恭喜发财” (Gōngxǐ fācái), which means “Wishing you wealth and prosperity.”
Later this week, we’ll all profess love for one another on Valentine’s Day. Looks like red is the color for New York this week.
Here is our weekly interview with the street: this week featuring Homesick, Toxicomano, ERRE, CP Won, Qzar, Hektad, Jappy Agoncillo, ToastOro, Senk, Stesi, CASH RFC Crew, OSK OSK, NAY, and Kosuke James.
Rafael Schacter: Monumental Graffiti. Tracing Public Art and Resistance in the City. Reprinted from the original review. In Monumental Graffiti: …Read More »
At fifteen years old, the Bushwick Collective has become a temporary city-state of culture—where hip-hop veterans, international muralists, neighborhood residents, …Read More »
Join the BSA Newsletter!
Subscribe to our newsletter for occasional updates, special announcements, and exclusive content.
BROOKLYN STREET ART LOVES YOU MORE EVERY DAY
