The War of the Walls

If Bushwick had a body and you sliced that body wide open, you would find paint coursing through its veins. Bushwick is engulfed in paint. It covers Bushwick bricks, Bushwick plaster, and Bushwick concrete. The paint is chaotic, brash, unapologetic. It seeps into the cracks of walls and looks up at you from the ground. It is splattered on plants that grow out of the streets. It’s on the trucks that drive down Bushwick streets and the cans that contain Bushwick trash. Paint keeps Bushwick alive. Paint preserves Bushwick’s authenticity. Paint destroys old Bushwick. Look closely at the images and words that have been created out of paint and you will find evidence of a war waged with markers and spray paint cans. Some Bushwick streets boast walls that are covered with floor to ceiling murals, painted by fine artists. These murals depict beautiful women, children, Salvador Dali, Biggie Smalls, a gigantic octopus, and a couple dancing in lederhosen, to name a few. Tourists roam these streets with cameras, snapping photographs of the murals and selfies in front of the art. Some of these murals have been vandalized, many with graffiti tags that are indecipherable. Other Bushwick streets are so quiet that you could assume the neighborhood has long forgotten them. On one particular street the only tenants are the homeless couple squatting there. Around them, empty warehouses stand with their glass windows shattered. Their walls have been conquered by spray paint. The paint is loud, swirling, difficult to comprehend. There are small letters, large letters, thick letters, many spelling out profanities and threats. These walls do not hold street art. These walls belong to graffiti. <a href="https://medium.com/the-brooklyn-ink/the-war-of-the-walls-57df0daaeb21">Visit Now</a>