Shea and I spent our 2009 spring break exploring New York City and searching for signs of our favorite street artists. When we came out of PS1 (contemporary art museum in Queens), we noticed a building nearby that was covered in bright, well-executed graffiti. Of course we had to check it out. Turns out it was 5Ptz (pronounced “five points”), a clothing factory building that allows chosen graffiti artists from all over the world to make their mark. It’s full of everything from extravagant murals to detailed portraits to intricate tags.

While this photo isn’t of the building itself, this van was tucked around back in a semi-deserted parking lot. These people behind these tags probably wanted to make their marks near the graffiti haven, but probably could not get permission from 5Ptz to tag on the building (you need to have permission to add to to the masterpiece, and most street artists respect the rules).

(March 2009)