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Artists hold vigil to commemorate loss of 5Pointz graffiti mecca

Artists hold vigil to commemorate loss of 5Pointz graffiti mecca
By Bill Parry

Hundreds gathered at 5Pointz after sundown Tuesday for a candlelight vigil to mourn the loss of iconic graffiti that was painted over on the building’s outer walls during the early morning hours under the orders of property owner Jerry Wolkoff.

“I went in there and painted it all at once,” Wolkoff said. “It’s like taking medicine,: Get it over all at once. Now it’s done, the torture is over.”

The painting over of the 350 street art murals caught the artists at 5Pointz by surprise.

“We got a call at 6:30 in the morning from someone driving on the Long Island Expressway,” said Marie Cecile Flangeul, the 5Pointz spokeswoman.

She rushed to the scene with curator Jonathan Cohen to find two dozen workers on cherry pickers whitewashing the graffiti that has covered the walls of the warehouse complex for nearly 20 years.

Wolkoff got the go-ahead to prepare 5Pointz for demolition when Brooklyn Federal Judge Frederic Block decided against issuing a permanent injunction Nov.12. The artists went to court in an attempt to stop Wolkoff from tearing down the building and sought an injunction as their suit worked its way through the system.

“When Judge Block sided with me, I figured let’s get it over with, not take it apart piece by piece,” he said. “That would be torture for them and for me.”

Wolkoff will proceed with the demolition to make way for two high-rise luxury residential towers within months.

“He’s a liar. He did it because landmarking was back in play,” Flageul said. “He told me at the City Council vote that if landmarking was back in play, he’d hire a crew and paint it overnight.”

At a rally Saturday, hundreds of admirers filled out city Landmark Preservation Commission forms. Cohen, known as Meres One, claimed he would have 20,000 forms filled out in time for a second attempt at landmark status after the initial application failed in August.

“The whitewashing endangers landmark status,” said Jeannine Chanes, the artist’s attorney.

“They were never going to get landmarking. They’re misguided,” Wolkoff said. “The building is a dump with zero architectural significance. Plus, if they did get it, they couldn’t paint there anymore. It makes no sense.”

The anger at the vigil was palpable.

“This was a sacred church that he destroyed today,” Cohen said. “He’s no different than a 16-year-old vandal. I’m tired of the corruption and our broken system — 20,000 people filling out landmark forms should not be ignored.”

That the act was carried out with police protection added to the artist’s frustration.

“The cops were going to arrest me and I asked why they weren’t arresting the people who were defacing our work, the work of 1,500 artists from around the worl,”said Cohen.

In response, NYPD Detective James Duffy said, “There was no extra police detail at this location.”

Wolkoff admitted the work was done overnight and police were notified in an attempt to avoid confrontation.

Aware that death threats were directed at Wolkoff on the Internet, Cohen said, “That’s going to happen when you act like a thug. Death threats are stupid. In fact, I want Jerry to live to be a hundred. By that time street art will be mainstream and he will know his legacy as the Madoff of the art world.”

“This is gratuitous art homicide,” said Chanes. “It’s so mean-spirited to show that they’re in charge.”

The attorney said a letter was sent to Block, the federal judge, Tuesday afternoon informing him of Wolkoff’s actions.

“He’s not going to like the court being affronted like this,” she said.

Chanes added that the original lawsuit that sought protection of the art under the 1990 Visual Artists Rights Act would continue.

“Now we can’t save the art, but we’ll seek damages,” she said. “VARA damages increase five-fold for 5Pointz.”

Reach reporter Bill Parry by e-mail at bparry@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4538.