iheart public 001

West Village | NYC | 2008

Completed on May 14, 2008, this was the first iheart mural. It was hand-painted and measured 7'X7'.

Located on a small cobble-stoned street tucked between Richard Meier's buildings, iheart public 001 was scaled and framed as commentary, at a time when street art was increasingly a photo backdrop of choice.

At one point, the mural was tagged with graffiti, and while repainting, a Smile You're Under Surveillance sign was placed above, as a deterrent.

Eventually, the mural was painted over in black, presumably by building staff directed by the owners. This prompted a response: iheart black too. When this version was painted over as well, it was time for a followup: iheart black 2. Everyone likes a good sequel.

During this adventure, it turned out there was a local audience:

Dear (sic),

My name is Dannielle and I live on Charles Lane, where you so lovingly painted that ugly old wall I walk past every time I go anywhere. I liked the “iheart black too” evolution very much, but that went away very quickly. I wonder why? Maybe it was for artistic reasons I could never understand. Maybe it didn't turn out quite the way you'd hoped. Who can say? Now we're left with a black void. Which is fine, but I wish you would come back and paint another of your beguiling ideas. Just one lady's request, but I had to make it.

Thank you for your fine work,
Dannielle