Four-Story-Tall Penis Painting Erected in New York City
- Funny
- Offensive
Paint-By-Members
January 2nd, 2018 – Residents of the Lower East Side were surprised over the holidays to discover a shockingly detailed 50’ tall penis painted on the side of the building at 303 E Broome St.
The towering piece had arisen thanks to street artist Carolina Falkholt. The mural had appeared unbidden by the building’s owner Samy Mahfar, who had not granted permission for it to pop up.
Street artist Carolina Falkholt took credit for the giant member via Instagram, claiming that “NO TIME 4 BALL$$ . . . I have never heard so much laughter and seen so many happy faces behind my back when painting as for today doing this wall on Broome Street.”
Lower East Side residents however, had a bone to pick with the artwork. Local activist and District 1 Community Education Council member Naomi Pena could barely choke down her anger saying she was not pleased to have her young daughters subjected to X-rated artwork.
“You may not have any children or may not live here to have to walk by and see this, [but] I certainly was not happy to have to explain to my 8-year-old twins what this was,” she fumed in an e-mail sent to the art collective who sponsored the mural as well as local officials, according to local blog The Lo-Down.
The meaty new work was commissioned by art group The New Allen, run by Milan Kelez, who co-owns neighborhood Peruvian eatery Baby Brassa.
Talking with The Independent, Falkholt explained her decision making by saying:
“To paraphrase Judith Bernstein, if a d*** can go into a woman, it can go up on a wall. Many of my murals, including these, are about not feeling ashamed of your body and who you are as a sexual being.”
The erection lasted for longer than 4 hours but no lasting medical harm was done to the erection or the neighborhood. The building’s owner arranged to cover up the penis with grey paint before it could start off 2018 with a bang.
Falkholt had previously sprayed a giant, more abstract vulva onto a building at 56 Pike Street that had not aroused such forceful insistent outrage.
