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Blu Mural Destruction ~ MOCA

5:05 PM PST on December 21, 2010

This has been all over the art world news, but in case you didn't hear, Blu (an Italian street artist) had a commissioned mural on the wall of MOCA painted over before it was even complete. The reasons given by gallery director Jeffrey Deitch, that the mural might be offensive to the local community, were not convincing and we've yet to hear a good theory as to why the mural was destroyed. Above is the best picture we've seen yet of the unfinished mural before it was painted over. Credit: KORI. Click for a large version.

Blu commented on his blog:

some photos of the work in progress and a global view of the muralthe main idea is understandable but unfortunately the piece is not finishedI didn’t feel so motivated to spend more time on it once i learned that it was going disappear the day after.I am stupid but not masochist.

meanwhile a very interesting debate is happening on internetand, wonders of rhetoric, the word “censorship” magically disappearsnow you can call it a “curatorial choice”I almost totally agree with this interpretationit is, in fact, a CURATORIAL CHOICE that involves the CENSORSHIP of a mural.

still unsure? check the word definition

...

this time news are going faster than my blogi will make a short resume:

1. Moca asks me to paint a mural2. I go to L.A. to paint the piece and I almost finish it3. the Moca director decides to erase the wall4. on the next day the mural is erased by Moca workers5. journalists are still not sure if this can be called censorship so they start asking my opinion about that

more photos and updates soon…

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