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Photos: An East Village Bodega Transformed Into Art
By
Ben Yakas
Published Nov 3, 2013
Modified Nov 3, 2013
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By
Ben Yakas
Published Nov 3, 2013
Modified Nov 3, 2013
Share
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We live in a post-Banksy society now, but there's still plenty of incredible street art going on. At the top of our list right now is RAE's incredibly detailed "Word Of Mouth" piece in the East Village, in which he transforms a normal old school bodega into a wondrous art landscape.
The shelves are stocked with classic bodega fare (EBT cards, bread, cans of beans, loosies, lotto tickets), but the walls and margins of all the surfaces are filled with a staggering array of RAE's drawings, paintings, stickers, and sculptures. Photographer Scott Lynch was impressed: "The attention to detail is awesome—the products, the security cameras, the pay phone, all of it—and people kept stopping in and saying, 'Wait, is this a store?' I loved it, it's got street art and vanishing NYC angles."
You can also buy stuff there if you want (the gallery worker also functions as a cashier). The exhibit will run through November 16th on the corner of Avenue C and East 12th Street. It is open Thursday through Saturday from 2 to 7 p.m.
Tagged
art
bodega
east village
manhattan
rae
street art
original
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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