Photo Essay: Street Art, Beyond 5 Pointz

When the famous graffiti site at 5 Pointz was shut down in 2013, it seemed to herald a threat to the city’s street-art scene. But as Chris Giblin reported last week, that art movement was never dependent on one space, and since 5 Pointz’s demise, new work has shifted to new spots or to ones that were already operating. The long-running Welling Court Mural Project near the Astoria waterfront is one of the latter. And unlike 5 Pointz, its fate isn’t linked to who holds a single real-estate deed. Garrison Buxton, a curator with the Ad Hoc Art Gallery in Brooklyn, has worked to manage Welling Court since 2009, told Giblin: “I’m not sure how many owners are involved with this project, exactly, but it’s dozens,” he says. “If 5Pointz had been owned by 40 people, it may have been a different story. Here, if one or two building owners decide to stop participating, it wouldn’t be too big of a deal.”

Below are some of the pieces seen at Welling Court in early July. All photos by Adi Talwar.

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City Limits’ coverage of the intersection of art and policy is supported by the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund.