Artist HOT TEA Responds to the Scheduled Development of the Bowery Graffiti Mansion With an "UUGGHH" Installation

This site-specific installation uses "non-destructive materials" and was designed to fit the building's architecture.

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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Earlier this year, we learned that the graffiti-covered mansion at 190 Bowery Street had been sold and that developers plan to convert the iconic building into what New York City desperately needs: more condos. Graffiti and street artists have covered the exterior walls of the landmark building with art for years, and the development means that the history will soon be erased, just as it was at 5Pointz in Long Island City. 

Artist HOT TEA (aka Eric Rieger) decided to express his frustration with the gentrification and "cultural shift" in the city by creating an installation that uses non-destructive materials. He designed a piece that forms the word "UUGGHH" out of wood, using the existing grooves in the architecture to hold it up. Check out the video about the piece above, and head downtown to see if it's still there.

[via Gothamist]

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