Klughaus organized a wall to be painted in Chinatown for the Smart Crew Collective to create a vintage postcard-inspired mural with a modern twist. The mural was painted by DCEVE, who was assisted by SNOEMAN & ELMO). The wall, located at 1 Allen Street, has been a classic NYC location for graffiti over the years until the wall started getting painted over by Graffiti Free NYC. Ironically enough, we had to work with the local precinct to finally get permission for this wall after three years of trying! Special thanks to the local sponsors who helped make this project possible: Tsingtao Beer, Chinatown Ice Cream Factory and Nom Wah Tea Parlor.
Needless to say, the mural turned out amazing and the wall instantly became a prime location for photographs! Like any good public artwork in New York City, the mural appeals to a broad demographic, including locals, tourists, graffiti writers, street artists, kids, and any more. The week after the original mural went up, SNOEMAN painted a bodega storefront around the corner, adjacent to DCEVE’s Chinatown wall. Last but not least, Smart Crew had to pay respect to its roots and curated some of NYC’s native top bombers to tag the store gates in tones of gray. Some of the invited artists included: CHINO BYI, SEV TDT, GIZ MTA, EASY, VEEFER, SP ONE, MISS17, YES2 and more. Check out photographs of the installation below.
Press links:
Animal New York – Smart Crew Reps Chinatown For Latest Neighborhood Mural Project
Bowery Boogie – Allen Street Issues ‘Greetings from Chinatown’ with New Mural
American FOBs – The Crew Behind Chinatown’s Mural Graffiti
Voices of NY – Approved Graffiti Unveiled in Chinatown
Untapped Cities – Top 10 NYC Street Art Murals of 2014
