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| Graffiti gatekeeper: Once Jonathan Cohen – aka Meres – gives his approval, the artists go to work on projects that will be displayed for hours
or years. [Editor's note: The original version misspelled the photographer's name.] Dmitry Kiper |
Curator of an urban canvas
The Gatekeeper of New York's 'graffiti mecca,' 'Meres' decides who paints – and how long it stays.
from the July 24, 2007 edition
Page 3 of 3
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Last December, Cohen got a call from someone representing Joss Stone, the popular R&B singer. Ms. Stone wanted to use 5 Pointz as the backdrop for the music video of her song "Tell Me 'Bout It." Cohen had no idea who she was, but after talking to her, he gave her crew the go-ahead. He even did a mural of Stone's face for the video, in which he appears at the end.
Cohen also flew to Los Angeles to paint Stone's body for the cover of her latest album, "Introducing Joss Stone." He had never used powdery body paint before or painted anyone's entire body, but "I'll never turn down a job," he says.
This motto has led him to accept corporate work, too – an opportunity that might not have been conceivable in the early days of aerosol art. On that same muggy Friday that the old-school artists were painting at 5 Pointz, Cohen was in Brooklyn working on a mural that advertises iced tea. He does corporate gigs purely for the money, he says, but dismisses any talk of "selling out."
"I couldn't work a regular job and work 5 Pointz," he says. When he's not at a gig, he's volunteering his time there, and although he gets paid for commercial use of 5 Pointz for film or photography, he says he annually spends $10,000 of his own money on the building.
"He spends his life there and he doesn't get much for it," said Ms. Stone, the R&B artist. "It's all about the love for the art."
Money aside, Cohen has big dreams for 5 Pointz. He wants to open an aerosol art clothing and supply store, a museum, and an art school. Money considered, he realizes these dreams will cost a lot. "I take it year by year," he says.
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