Weekly Photo: 5 Pointz, Long Island City, NYC

5 Pointz is an outdoor art exhibit space located in Queens, New York City. It is considered by many to be the “graffiti Mecca”. Tag artists from all over the world come to leave their mark on this huge factory building. “5 Pointz” is a nod to the five boroughs that make up New York City, as it is the epicenter of the graffiti-art scene. The curator of this large space is Jonathan Cohen, better known as the veteran tagger “Meres One”.

Also referred to as “The Institute of Higher Burnin’“ and “5Pointz Aerosol Art Center, Inc.”, it was originally established as the Phun Phactory back in 1993 by Pat DiLillo via a program called the “Graffiti Terminators” to give taggers a place where they could legally display their work to the public.

*There are plans to possibly bulldoze the entire site, to make way for two large residential towers, and the site is currently in jeopardy. Many of the most famous spray artists of the last few decades have left their mark here, so if you are ever in New York City, make a quick trip to the borough of Queens, and check this place out, while it is still here.

5 Pointz, Queens, New York City
45-46 Davis Street  Long Island City, NY 11101
http://www.5ptz.com/

Photo by Dejan Jovanovic / Flickr