In Action in LES with YESONE and the Lower East Side Preservation Initiative
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Last night was the second installment of the two-part discussion, “Street Art and the Lower East Side.” Sponsored by the Lower East Side Preservation Initiative, the miniseries explored the connections between the decades-old art form and its neighborhood muse.
Noted artist YESONE was the subject of yesterday’s event, having spent hours in the brutal heat painting part of his soon-to-be-completed mural in the back lot of the Clemente Soto Velez Center. A small gathering of supporters and media gathered to watch the “live outdoor art installation” unfold. After 3 hours, Yes wasn’t nearly finished, but will return another day.
YESONE is part of our Uncapped feature series– we met with him in the lead-up to the show.
Check a sneak peek of his interview coming up.
BOWERY BOOGIE: Tell us about yourself.
YESONE: I’m YESONE from the Bronx, represent New York City. Just lovin’ what I do.
BB: What is it that you do?
YO: Well, first of all, I’m a father of two kids, I’m a superintendent of a building seventeen years strong. And I still have the energy and time to paint.
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BB: We’ve seen you bless many a wall in the neighborhood. Our most original unoriginal question is how did you get your name?
YO: I came up with my name in math class – 4th period – in junior high school in 1982.
BB: How do you feel about LES?
YO: Hanging in the LES back in the days, back and forth, doing the club scene, LES always had that little spice to it. That little cool stamp, you know, with Chico. It was just a dope place to be. Different now, but still dope.
BB: Different. Yeah. Heard that before. What’s the difference between graffiti artists and street artists?
YO: Graffiti artists, we concentrate more on letter style, and our productions are more united. Versus street artists, it’s just a box. Just a bunch of big canvases back-to-back-to-back.
There’s room in New York for everyone to get busy.
Stay tuned for the full interview in our Uncapped feature…
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