5 Pointz, Long Island City

August 18, 2013

One of the really great parts about living in Long Island City is the close proximity to contemporary art galleries and venues. In addition to the waterfront views, an abundance of authentic ethnic restaurants, and the Gantry Plaza State Park, LIC houses a small, but concentrated offering of art, perhaps only second to Manhattan. The list includes: MoMA PS1, 5 Pointz, Socrates Sculpture Garden, the Museum of the Moving Image, the Noguchi Museum, and several other, smaller galleries.

5 Pointz Aerosol Center, Inc. is an outdoor graffiti exhibit, sprawled out on the walls of a 200,000 sq. foot factory building. Aerosol artists come from around the world to paint pieces on this industrial space. The name derives its concept from the five boroughs coming together as one at this “epicenter” of the graffiti scene. Since its founding in 2002, the almost empty factory warehouse has attracted a number of hip-hop and R&B stars to the site. Filmmakers, photographers, and tourists flock to the site to complex to bask in the colorful aerosol glow of over 350 murals. The building is perhaps best seen from the 7-Train between the Queens Plaza and Hunter’s Point stops. Rooftop access is available to those who partake in a paid tour of the space.

The gallery’s curator is Jonathan Cohen, a graffiti veteran also known by the tag “Meres One.” His objective is to convert the five-story, block long complex at Jackson Avenue and Davis Street into a graffiti art museum. Unfortunately, the City Council has been working to tear the over-100-year-old industrial complex down, “by the end of the year, if all goes as planned.” One of the only remaining factories in the otherwise vacant complex is a seamstress shop on the ground floor, just off Crane Street. There has been speculation for a while that the complex would be torn down to make way for a fleet of luxury, residential towers.

Read: “Saying Farewell to Long Island City Graffiti Mecca 5 Pointz.”