5 Pointz Graffiti Art: The Institute of Higher Burnin'

Have you experienced the 5 Pointz Aerosol Art Center yet?
You’re in for a real treat! I try to stay on top of the art scene, but I must admit that I was in the dark about this cultural phenomenom until recently. Luckily for me, after oohing and aahing over mind-boggling installations at the P.S. 1 MOMA Museum in Long Island City, New York, my friend led me around the corner to get up close and personal with 5 Pointz.
Little did I know what a jaw-dropping display of aerosol art I was in for. Nearly every inch of exterior wall space on the 200,000 square foot industrial complex at Jackson Avenue and Davis Street–formerly known as the Phun Phactory–was covered with brilliant designs by masters of the art form. It looked like “a living collage of graffiti art”.

Entire tour buses full of admirers descend upon 5 Pointz to admire this curated display of more than 350 technicolor murals around the outside of the building, or head upstairs to the roof for more graffiti and exceptional views of LIC and Manhattan.

It’s big celebrity draw! On any given day you can expect to find prominent artists, musicians, deejays, rappers and break dancers on site–in addition to models, photographers and filmmakers. In fact, I witnessed a model shoot in front of one of the murals, while I was there.

A Little Background on 5 Pointz

Now considered to be the world’s premiere “Graffiti Mecca”–where aerosol artists from around the globe paint colorful works on the walls of this factory building–5 Pointz Aerosol Art Center is a unique, outdoor art exhibit space. Best known by his signature tag, “Meres One”, the gallery curator is graffiti veteran Jonathan Cohen. He hopes to convert the industrial complex into a graffiti art museum.

A tribute to hip hop artists, Biggie Smalls.

“The name 5 Pointz refers to the five boroughs coming together as one but,

because of its reputation as an epicenter of the graffiti scene, the industrial complex

has actually united aerosol artists from across the world. Legendary artists from

Canada, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Japan, Brazil, and all over the United States

have painted on the building walls, including Stay High 149, Tracy 168, Cope2,

Part and Tats Cru.

Over the past decade, the striking, graffiti-covered warehouse 

has attracted several hip-hop and R&B stars, including Doug E. Fresh,

Kurtis Blow, Grandmaster Kaz, Mobb Deep, Rahzel,

DJ JS-1, Boot Camp Clik, Joan Jett, and Joss Stone.”

 

A Sampling from the World’s Premiere “Graffiti Mecca”

I love each one of these. I’ll let the work speak for itself…

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Essentials

5 Pointz Aerosol Art Center, Inc.
45-46 Davis Street
L.I.C., N.Y. 11111
Website: 5ptz.com
Email: MeresOne@5ptz.com
By Subway: Take the 7 train to Court Square
The Experience
Wednesday – Sunday, 10am – 8pm
Individuals and groups of less than 10 will be directed to their preferred vendor.
Email: MeresOne@5ptz.com
Group Tours (in and off season):
10 people or more
Email: MeresOne@5ptz.com
Artists
To obtain a permit, you must provide a work sample (i.e. preferably a photo of a wall piece, or at least a sketch), so that they can properly place you.
Email: MeresOne@5ptz.com