Artists bring ‘energy and life’ back
to Chelsea amid COVID-19 pandemic
BY DEAN MOSES
Two Chelsea artists are celebrating
the beauty of life
in the wake of the tragedy
of death.
New Yorkers’ relationship with
art has changed dramatically in
2021. With indoor space now
severely limited, preventing large
scale exhibitions from taking
place, and world-altering events
such as the onset of the COVID
19 virus and the activism of
the Black Lives Matter movement
changing the way in which artists
see the world, art has been forced
to evolve in order to continue
stimulating minds and provoking
creative thought.
With the help of Art Bridge,
Hisham Akira Bharoocha and
Maria Lupianez teamed up to
create a free, outdoor art exhibit
called Intertwining Colors that
focuses on the elements which
make life in the Chelsea area
great despite an emotionally trying
year: its people.
The façade of several construction
scaffoldings in multiple locations
including West 26th Street
between 9th and 10th Avenue
have been transformed from
dreary eyesores into vivid, kaleidoscopic
designs that light up the
community with color and character.
This character stems from
the myriad of faces illustrated
upon the polytab fabric concealing
the metal beneath. Each smile,
wave, and enchanting gaze are the
products of real people living in
the community.
The artists met with public
members residing in the
Elliott-Chelsea Houses, photographed
them, and then worked
on immortalizing their personalities
with weather-resistant paint.
Each individual represented is
connected by a multicolored
Rico stands in front of his painted counterpart
on West 17th street.
tether, a prism of joy that intertwines
the lives and souls which
make up the neighborhood.
“It is incredible to create work
specifically for the residents
the artwork is surrounding. To
see the reactions of people just
brought tears of joy to my eyes, to
see how excited they were to see
themselves in it,” Bharoocha said.
Lupianez agreed, stating that
the resident reception was one of
her greatest takeaways from the
project.
“I think that was the biggest
highlight for myself, just seeing
their reactions. We were out here
doing fi nal touch-ups and we
got to see some people come out
and scream, overjoyed by seeing
themselves. To me, that said it
all,” Lupianez said.
Rico, a local Chelsea celebrity
known for his idiosyncratic sense
of style, is one of the many faces
painted on the murals. The artists
encountered Rico hanging out at
another one of their exhibit locations
on 17th Street between 9th
and 10th Avenue and immediately
decided they had to include him.
While he was hesitant at fi rst–like
PHOTOS BY DEAN MOSES
The mural at West 26th
Street between 9th and 10th
Avenue.
many of the residents–the fi nal
product won him over.
“I think it is cool. I like it but
I don’t like it. It doesn’t look like
me, it’s the smile. I am not a smiling
person,” Rico joked.
When Residents of Elliott-
Chelsea Houses like Phyre were
asked to pose, her eight-year-old
daughter‘s love for painting inspired
her to get involved.
“I did for my daughter. She really
likes art and pictures, so I felt
this would blow her away. What
the artists did was amazing, it really
brought energy and life to the
community,” Phyre said, gazing
upon her painted effi gy.
The artwork will be available to
view until June, still, when it comes
time to remove the display, it will
continue to live on. According to
artists Bharoocha and Lupianez,
they will be gifting the portraits to
those of their real-life counterparts.
The mural depicts residents of the area in colorful hues.
Two bars for bitcoins: Owner in Hell’s
Kitchen selling out for cryptocurrency
BY ALEKSANDRA MICHALSKA
REUTERS
Patrick Hughes has put his two side-by-side bars
inNewYork‘s Hell’s Kitchen, Hellcat Annie’s and
Scruffy Duffy’s, up for sale – for 25 bitcoins or 800
Ethereum tokens, now worth up to $1.12 million.
He listed the bars in the western Manhattan neighborhood
– which like other eating and drinking establishments
have been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic – for sale
in early January.
“This would be a good time for somebody young, fresh
blood to get in here and go for it, like I did when I was 26
years old and opened my fi rst place,” Hughes said in an
interview. “Now I’m 56, and maybe it’s time for somebody
else, because I am tired.”
A niche investment only few years ago, bitcoin has
became the world’s most popular cryptocurrency.
Last year, it rose 304% in value, prompting investment
banks to predict more future gains. JPMorgan Chase said it
would reach $146,000, while Citigroup said bitcoin could
hit $318,000.
Bitcoin is currently trading at nearly $36,000 apiece,
putting the price for Hellcat Annie’s and Scruffy Duffy’s at
nearly $900,000. Paying 800 tokens of the second biggest
cryptocurrency, Ethereum, would make it nearly $1.12
million.
Hughes said he has had “a number of inquiries,” but not
for a bitcoin deal, and said he would also consider selling
the bars for dollars.
“Perhaps we will ceremoniously add one bitcoin to the
deal, you know, just to kind of top it off,” Hughes said.
He closed both bars in March as the pandemic began
batteringNewYork. In November, Hughes reopened Hellcat
Annie’s with an outdoor dining area that brings in enough
business to support the establishment even with indoor
dining shut down.
He uses Scruffy Duffy’s to store furniture removed from
PHOTO BY REUTERS/DADO RUVIC
A representation of virtual currency bitcoin is seen
in this illustration taken Nov. 19, 2020.
Hellcat Annie’s.
Before the pandemic, the bars had a combined staff of
50 people. Now it’s about fi ve.
Hughes said COVID-19 had not hurt his personal
fi nances badly. “I was fortunate enough to have saved my
money over the years,” Hughes said. “And I’ve been able
to weather the storm.”
He said he has one bitcoin. “It’s fun to watch it,” he said.
“And we’ll see what happens in the future. But cryptocurrency
is the future.”
4 February 4, 2021 Schneps Media