In May 2015, Jeffrey Deitch, along with Thor Equities and and Joseph J. Sitt, unveiled Coney Art Walls, an outdoor museum of street art at the legendary theme park in Brooklyn. The project brought together an exceptional group of international artists in an already iconic location. Our Joe Russo captured the making of the project for a few months, documenting the artists in process and with their finished walls.
ABOUT CONEY ART WALLS
Presented by Thor Equities and curated by Jeffrey Deitch and Joseph J. Sitt, Coney Art Walls is an outdoor museum of street art featuring the work of 34 celebrated artists including legends such as Lady Pink, Crash, Daze, Futura and Kenny Scharf, leading artists of the next generation including Shepard Fairey, Maya Hayuk and How and Nosm, and exciting emerging artists like Tatyana Fazlalizadeh and Lauren Halsey.
Coney Art Walls is also home to Coney Smorgasburg, with 12 diverse food vendors presented by the founders of the popular food market, as well as a bar serving craft beer, wine and other drinks. A music stage onsite features live performances throughout the summer.
Bordered by Bowery Street, West 15th Street and Stillwell Avenue near the Coney Island beach and boardwalk, Coney Art Walls debuted in May 2015 and has already drawn thousands of visitors to the 55,000-square-foot site. The formerly vacant lot in the center of Coney Island was transformed into an outdoor gallery with illuminated walls. Artists traveled from Singapore, Doha, Barcelona, Paris, Ghent, Los Angeles and other cities around the world to paint the murals on site.
“Thor Equities is committed to honoring Coney Island’s past while preserving its future, and we believe the art wall project and Smorgasburg will go a long way towards achieving that goal,” said Joseph Sitt, CEO of Thor Equities. “Coney Art Walls is the next exciting step in our ongoing plans to help restore the vitality of Coney Island, and build on our successes in the neighborhood.”
For a full roster of artists, visit coneyartwalls.com
All photography by Joe Russo for Juxtapoz