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Friday, April 8, 2011

Visual Art After Art Walk Last Night, Somebody Threw A Car Stereo Through the Window of Lawrimore Project

Posted by Jen Graves on Fri, Apr 8, 2011 at 10:19 AM

None of Read's art was stolen.

The gallery had just opened the first sanctioned solo exhibition of nationally peripatetic street artist Read. Were the haters protesting the art? Lawrimore says he has no idea. They didn't steal anything. If they were protesting graffiti with an act of vandalism, that's some oxymoronic business.

Read, who attended the opening quietly and spoke with a soft voice, filled the gallery with prints, collages, and a large wall work with the word "READ" climbing up to the high ceilings—the letters looking like they've been already begun to be painted over by graffiti cleanup teams.

His work has all the marks of typical tough-guy graffiti, but with an edge that's surprisingly radiant and warm. Edges flicker with life. Jokes are friendly. The sheer love of fonts and printing—and you know, reading—is totally evident.

The installation is set up like a cross between a boutique, a bodega, and a street scene with newspaper boxes covered in the words "read" and "ready." One painting, made on a collage of gold foils from cigarette boxes, looks like a sign that might have appeared on a European apothecary a hundred years ago. Another grid collage is stitched together lovingly, and prints hanging on a rack as though they're still drying.

Poor Lawrimore Project—the gallery's been the victim of disaster twice in two years. In August 2009, an overnight fire burned an SBC artwork to cinders. At least this time the show goes on.

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Comments (9) RSS

Oldest First Unregistered On Registered On Add a comment

I don't follow, Cienna.

Graffiti is art, even when it's done to private property, but smashing a window is bad?

Vandalism is vandalism.

Posted by Post Your Address on April 8, 2011 at 10:39 AM

Meta

Posted by Residual on April 8, 2011 at 11:05 AM

I think it was a review. I considered hucking a brick myself. Am I the only one tired of this Richard Prince type crap.

Posted by soggydan on April 8, 2011 at 12:18 PM

Perhaps it has more to do with the way the Arts Walk has become an orgy of highly intoxicated 19-year-olds with little-to-no actual interest in the art itself.

Posted by Hutch on April 8, 2011 at 12:18 PM

Classic MacGruber.

Posted by Dougsf on April 8, 2011 at 12:35 PM

Don't people usually BREAK windows to STEAL car stereos?

Posted by HellboundAlleee

on April 8, 2011 at 4:25 PM

a car stereo, lol

Posted by i'm pro-science and i vote

on April 8, 2011 at 4:37 PM

hey wait a minute...someone stole my car stereo last night...maybe that stereo is mine!

Posted by katie on April 9, 2011 at 8:40 AM

Regardless of whether you like the art or agree with its message, you don't vandalize. This controversial artist uses his work to get his message out, why don't those opposed to him do the same? That seems like a far more constructive and logical solution.

Posted by sucah2 on April 13, 2011 at 6:29 PM