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Less than a week after Janet Jackson played a fest-stealing set at Panorama on Randalls Island, the likeness of her late brother popped up in the East Village. Earlier this week, renowned street artist Eduardo Kobra completed a technicolored mural depicting Michael Jackson at the corner of 11th Street and First Avenue. The work splits the King of Pop's visage into two halves: one shows a youthful Jackson 5-era Michael; the other shows him in his later days with long, flowing hair and a reconstructed nose.
Kobra is no stranger to producing head-turning, colorful street art. Last year, he installed a sprawling mural of David Bowie in Jersey City, and another in Chicago honoring late street photographer Vivian Maier. The bulk of his most notable works feature striking portraits that are given a psychedelic-esque treatment, and his latest work downtown is no exception.
The mural is well-timed for New York: Later this month, Spike Lee will host his eighth annual Brooklyn Loves Michael Jackson Block Party in Bed-Stuy, an event that honors the artist's memory. That shindig goes down on Saturday, August 25, and is free and open to the public. What's more, news broke earlier this summer that a full-blown Michael Jackson musical is coming to Broadway in 2020.
So if you're trying to celebrate the memory of MJ, you'll soon have plenty of chances to do so. In the meantime, head down to the East Village to gawk at Kobra's incredible new mural.