VOICES OF NEW YORK - by Juliette Dekeyser “5Pointz Gone But Not the Culture, Artists Say”, November 20, 2013 http://www.voicesofny.org/2013/11/5pointz-gone-but-not-the-culture-artists-say By Juliette Dekeyser - juliettedk.com

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5Pointz Gone But Not the Culture, Artists Say
November 20, 2013 2:34 pm
By Juliette Dekeyser | VOICES OF NY
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“Rest in power” was spray painted yesterday over a metal gate that had been covered in white the night before. (Photo
by Juliette Dekeyser/Voices of NY)
VOICES’ PICKS
Carlos Game lost “his ladies” yesterday at 5Pointz in Long Island City, Queens. His specialty is
to paint women and he said he had a dozen works in the graffiti mecca.
Game along with hundreds of other graffiti artists, fans and neighbors were shocked to see
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that the colorful warehouse awoke Tuesday covered in white paint.
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The work of 1,500 artists
has been destroyed, said
Marie Cecile Flageul, a
volunteer at 5Pointz.
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“There’s nothing that can
be saved,” she added.
“Look around. It’s
painted, it’s ruined.”
Over 11 years, 5Pointz
had become a global
attraction and a
destination for the graffiti
5Pointz, now covered with white paint. (Photo by Juliette Dekeyser/Voices of NY)
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2. community worldwide. With
the blessing of the building’s
owner, Jerry Wolkoff, artists
covered every bit of space
with aerosol creations. It was
a sight to see. But Wolkoff
now wants the warehouse
demolished to pave the way
for luxury condos.
For several months, a group
5Pointz a few days ago. (Photo by Juliette Dekeyser/Voices of NY)
of 17 artists had been
fighting in court to preserve
the building. Last week, Judge Frederic Block in Brooklyn Federal Court ruled against issuing a
permanent injunction that would stop the demolition.
Jeannine Chanes, a lawyer for 5Pointz artists, argued that the court action was still pending
because the judge hadn’t delivered his written decision and therefore Wolkoff had no right to
paint it over.
“Because of Wolkoff’s actions today,” Chanes said, “instead of damages of $30,000 a piece, he
is liable for damages above $250,000 per piece of art work that has been destroyed. And that’s
what the artists are going to seek now.”
A visibly upset Flageul said she believes the landlord painted over the graffiti because he
wanted to make sure nothing could be landmarked.
“He just proved that he is the biggest vandal of all,” she said.
Wolkoff told New York Magazine that his decision to paint it over was best for everyone. “To
watch the pieces go down piece by piece by piece would be torturous,” he said. “In New York,
you can’t implode a building. So let me just go in and paint it in one morning, and it’s over
with.”
Supporters of 5Pointz considered the building and surrounding area under the elevated 7 train
a monument to street art. Jonathan Cohen, 5Pointz curator and artist, told DNAinfo
that Wolkoff will be “remembered for the greatest art murder in history.”
Like many other Queens residents, Amany Mahfouz, 21, came to show her support yesterday,
even before the vigil planned for 5 p.m.
“I feel like a ghost,” she said, looking at the white walls around her.
Mahfouz wrote on a poster: “We will be remembered not for the monuments we build but for
those we have destroyed,” a quote that originally refers to the demolition of the glorious
Pennsylvania Station in Manhattan in 1963.
Nearby, graffiti artists expressed
themselves on boards and on gates.
“Rest in power,” read one. “In loving
memory,” another.
Game said of his 12 pieces inside and
outside the building only one survived the
white brush.
“You can only see it in the train,” he said,
“it’s on the roof above the loading dock.”
Carlos Game, spray-painting a woman crying. (Photo by

3. Juliette Dekeyser/Voices of NY)
Yesterday, he painted the face of a
woman crying, though he said he wanted
to remain positive.
“We’re trying to preserve the culture, not the building,” he said. “5Pointz is not going anywhere.
5Pointz is always going to be here because we are 5Pointz.”
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