COURTESY RFR
Eleven Howard, the swanky new SoHo hotel owned by property mogul Aby Rosen, has received a site-specific mural courtesy of a partnership between a group of young artists from New York–based public arts organization Groundswell and the artist Jeff Koons, who provided mentorship.
The mural celebrates SoHo’s rich cultural and aesthetic legacy, featuring a diverse array of symbolic references from images of Little Italy to those of the neighborhood’s famed wall-scribbler, Jean-Michel Basquiat.
“The design shows the history and culture of SoHo: the music, food, fashion as well as the industries that formerly existed within the neighborhood,” Groundswell’s lead artist for the project, Misha Tyutyunik, said in a press statement. “It evokes the commercial refinement of present-day SoHo, but also alludes to its spirit of surprise and discovery, encouraging pedestrians to stroll and wander through the winding side streets to window shop, to find new wonders or uncover relics of bygone days.”
Koons, who helped refine the team’s final design at his studio, added:
“It’s my pleasure to work with the youth group from Groundswell on the Howard Street mural. This is a very creative team of young artists, and it’s rare to see a group with such a unified vision. I’ve enjoyed working with the artists during the conception of their idea.”