Like a true Brooklyn girl who still wells up at the sound of Jay Z’s “Empire State of Mind” when thinking of home, no matter how highbrow an art experience I encounter at classic museums around the world, there is always a special appreciation I have for the street art adorning the walls of New York City’s concrete jungle whether as “high” as commissioned, public art pieces or as “low” as illegal graffiti tags.

Dang. gets me every time!!

The landmark Downtown NYC spot for street art aficionados alike is the infamous Bowery Mural located at the corner of  Houston (pronounced HOUSE-Ton for non-New Yawkers 😉 ) & Bowery streets, one of my favorite places to periodically visit when home. The wall was first christened by the iconic Keith Haring and Juan Dubose in 1982 and has since showcased an impressive list of established and up & coming artists splattering their vivid imaginations across coveted NYC territory.

The Bowery Mural is Downtown New York’s interactive allegory with bright colors, patterns, tags and graphics telling tales of life and culture once experienced and presently observed by its residents. It is a constant resurgence of inspiration due to its revolving canvas every few months, which makes it always a must-see! Here are a couple of shots from my last interaction with the mural featuring work by Bronx graffiti artist, Cope2:

Who shot ya?! Bang, Bang x KO at The Houston Bowery Mural. Photo by Cesarin Mateo

KO under the influence of NYC streets! Photo by Cesarin Mateo

KO ninja prophecy fulfilled! Photo by Cesarin Mateo

Until the next adventure at “The Wall” (unfortunately sans Jon Snow for all my fellow Game of Thrones fans)!

xo Khadijat