Is street art still street art if it dwells not on storefronts and avenues but 69 floors up in a Manhattan skyscraper? This is the question at the root of “ART4WTC: Gallery in the Sky,” an artistic collaboration between street art legends in the unlikely setting of 4 World Trade Center.
Ron English, Jenna Morello, Lauren YS, Stickymonger and Kimyon333 are among the artists contributing to the project, which collapses the space between renegade, guerrilla artwork and corporate design.
“What I find so entertaining is this contradiction of terms on all levels,” creative producer Robert Marcucci said in a statement. “And the fact that it is nestled in this very corporate structure gives it the attention I think it deserves ― a proper look at a contemporary art movement born out of a extremely stressed fabric of modern society, that is evolving more and more each day, blending various styles of art and sending a message out to larger audiences.”
Marcucci explained that the recruited artists had free rein to create whatever they so pleased in the space of the open 69th floor, though they were encouraged to seek inspiration from New York City, as well as the memory of 9/11 and ideas of rebirth, strength and patriotism.
The project, dubbed an “art world in the sky,” captures the strange juxtaposition of corporate wealth and street energy that is unique to New York City. See some of the work below.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article’s headline misidentified the building as One World Trade Center.
