New York graffiti legends will take over the University of Pittsburgh campus, creating a giant pro-Israel mural based on the artwork of Andy Warhol and Fab 5 Freddy. Students will be tought the basics of graffiti and will be asked to sign their name to the promotional piece.
Thursday, September 6 2012 between noon and 5 pm on the Union Lawn, COL Wallnuts, BROKER and GlossBlack will put their own interpretation on a well known cultural icon native to Pittsburgh while discussing the recent debates around arts in the Middle East and Israel.
A reception will follow at the Eastside Gallery, 6401 Penn Avenue on September 6 between 6:30 and 9:30 pm.
Artists 4 Israel will enter the conversation about what is art, what is mimicry and the use of creativity and innovation in approaching and possibly solving the Middle East conflict.
Andy Warhol turned the Campbell's soup cans into works of art. New York hip-hop personality, Fab 5 Freddy, turned that image into a mural covering a full subway car. COL from the Wallnuts Crew, BROKER and Jimmy and Robb of the GlossBlack collective, will each take a turn re-interpreting Fab 5’s steel canvas into discussions about Israel.
Craig Dershowitz, Executive Director of Artists 4 Israel explains: “Recently, many world-famous artists have been defying boycott calls against Israel and performing there in a sign of solidarity with Israel, the only country in the Middle East with the appropriate freedoms necessary to support a true, creative community.”
COL, BROKER and Jummy will do their own take on the Campbell’s soup cans with each one representing an artist who has just returned from a concert in the controversial country. Eastside Gallery, full of artists who are themselves from Israel, welcome these painters.
Before the show at the Eastside Gallery, the Artists 4 Israel team will be painting their work live on the University of Pittsburgh campus in a program sponsored by Panthers for Israel.