Art

Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Kurt Kobain and Amy Winehouse spent their careers burning the candle at both ends until there wasn't any wax left. Now, these tragic pop icons are the subjects of a brand-new mural on the Lower East Side by in-demand street artist Kobra. Situated on the corner of Rivington and Forsyth Streets, the work memorializes their membership in the so-called 27 Club: The musicians and artists who died at 27.     Photograph: Ben Lau @just_a_spectator They're painted in Kobra's signature blend of grisaille portraits and color-saturated, kaleidoscopic backgrounds. Using a split-face style similar to one he employed for an East Village mural of Michael Jackson, Kobra joins Joplin with Kobain and Morrison with Hendrix, while Winehouse is seen on her own in profile. Kobra has had a very busy summer and fall. His 27 Club tribute is the latest of several murals celebrating important figures that include Mother Teresa, Mahatma Gandhi and a 9/11 firefighter.

Though his youthful countenance may belie his years, true American icon Mickey Mouse is turning a whopping 90 years old this year. (If you ask us, he doesn’t look a day over 85.) To celebrate the major milestone, Disney has announced an immersive art exhibition opening in Chelsea this fall that will honor the cartoon mouse’s legacy with Mickey-inspired artwork. Notable contemporary artists including Kenny Scharf, Amanda Ross-Ho and Shinique Smith will display original pieces at the temporary pop-up inspired by famous Mickey Mouse moments ranging from Steamboat Willie to the present day. There will also be historic artworks on display in the space that have drawn inspiration from the Disney figurehead over the last 90 years, as well as a giant plush toy sculpture, a fluorescent black light room inspired by the Mickey watch and more interactive experiences.  “To me, Mickey is reminiscent of everything good from my childhood,” said the show’s curator, LA-based designer Darren Romanelli, “As I’ve come into my own as designer, I feel a true sense of passion for this project. Every inch of the experience, from the artists participating to the different mediums featured to the building layout, was thought through with a level of detail and creativity we could only achieve with Mickey Mouse as our muse.” The 16,000-square–foot, jam-packed exhibition called “Mickey: The True Original Exhibition,” will run from November 8 until February 10 at 60 Tenth Avenue. Tickets are $38 and

A train on the Second Avenue subway line got a fresh coat of paint over the weekend. A member of the Progressive Action Facebook group posted photos early Monday morning of a Q train that was apparently graffiti bombed overnight while parked near the 96th Street Station. It's unknown how long the train was in operation before being pulled out of service for a clean up. Though the trains are normally spotless (or wrapped in paid advertisements) these days, New York City's subways have a long history of serving as a canvas for artists. Many painters have moved from unsanctioned transit art to more legitimate gallery-artist careers: Street art icon Chris “Daze” Ellis, for example, who we talked to earlier this year, discussed making the transition. The days of fully covered subway cars, as captured in '80s hip-hop film Wild Style, are clearly over, but it seems that for some the appeal of a quick throwback is just too great to resist.   Photograph: Corey-Don Rum Lordz Gibson‎/Facebook Photograph: Corey-Don Rum Lordz Gibson‎/Facebook       Photograph: Corey-Don Rum Lordz Gibson‎/Facebook    

Construction sheds are ever-present on NYC streets, a blight on neighborhoods from Brighton Beach in Brooklyn to Wakefield in the Bronx. True, they can save you from falling debris (usually), and briefly protect you from rain or snow. But nobody is happy to see one going up on their block, and no one is unhappy when one comes down.   Mauricio Lopez, Color Mesh Photograph: Courtesy NYC Department of Cultural Affairs   In other words, construction sheds are a nuisance—blocking the sun, making it harder to navigate already crowded sidewalks, and, at night, sheltering muggers and the homeless. They’re also an eyesore. City fathers are well aware that there isn’t much they can do about most of the downsides to construction sheds, but apparently, they do think they can make them more visually appealing. That’s the logic, anyway, behind City Canvas, a new initiative by New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. The program will solicit artworks to cover the more than 300 miles of construction fences and sidewalk sheds across the five boroughs. The aim is to “improve the pedestrian experience for NYC residents and visitors,” while “increas[ing] opportunities for cultural organizations and artists to present artworks.”   Jen Magathan, Urban Sky Photograph: Courtesy NYC Department of Cultural Affairs   Hopefully some cool projects will be the result. In the meantime, if you’re an artist looking for public exposure, you can go to this link to find out more and down

Ever wondered what's the story behind NYC's ubiquitous outdoor monuments