A street artist has pulled a super good one Downtown, labeling eight banal artifacts of city life (dumpsters, the Third Street Tunnel, the weedy lot at First and Broadway, etc.) with signs identifying them as art pieces created by stars like Andy Warhol and Laurie Anderson (the placards are fake-signed by Mayor Villaraigosa and MOCA head Jeffrey Deitch). The LA Times dug up the story--the "show" is called Art Appears and is the work of Wild Life, half of the duo who put up papier-mâché people on the LA River (a surfer), at the aforementioned weedy lot (sunbathers), and other spots Downtown. Several of the signs have now been removed, but until yesterday, one placard designated the trees outside LAPD headquarters as "Thirsty Palms," created by Chris Burden (known for his lamppost cluster "Urban Light"): "This purposefully under-watered palm grove, whose layout echoes the lamppost entrance the artist designed for LA County Museum of Art was installed here in sympathy with all those whose daily existence is a struggle for survival." Another designated the Third Street Tunnel the "Holocaust Memorial Tunnel" and said it was created by architects IM Pei and Richard Meier. Ok, that one might've crossed a line.
Here's a list of all eight of the original pieces (the LAT also has a map):
1. "Thirsty Palms," Chris Burden, Second and Spring Streets
2. "Sister Cities Signpost," Yoko Ono, First and Main
3. "Holocaust Memorial Tunnel," IM Pei and Richard Meier, Third and Hill Streets
4. "Homeless Moment," Laurie Anderson, Los Angeles and Third Streets
5. "Dumpster," Jean-Michel Basquiet, Heller Court near First Street
6. "Dumpster," Andy Warhol, 708 Traction Ave.
7. "Imagine Your City," Werner Herzog, Fifth Street between Broadway and Hill
8. "Excavation Pit #24," Broadway and First
· Updated: Mysterious street artist hoaxes Downtown L.A., signs removed [LAT]
Loading comments...