The floor artwork entitled The Smile is artist Boicut’s largest work to date. In technical terms, this type of painting is referred to as an “asphalt mural”. The Viennese artist was commissioned by the “New York State Department of Transportation” (NYC DOT) to bring joy to passers-by with street art and to make New York’s streets more varied.
Artwork by Wiener in NY
At the invitation of the city, Viennese artist Boicut painted and spray-painted a huge permanent work of art on asphalt near Yankee Stadium in New York.
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Boicut is one of the first international artists to impress the NYC DOT jury. The “Mural” has an area of 750 square meters and is decorated in Boicut’s popular colors of blue, red, yellow, white and pink. It is located on Macombs Road in the Bronx. This district can be described as the birthplace of street art, Boicut explained in the “Vienna Today” interview. It can be reached from 176th Street, a subway station on the 4 line.
100 square meters in an hour
“The Smile” is supposed to spice up the square for eleven months. If approved, the artwork could stay longer, Boicut said. The name of the work is no coincidence. The smiley symbol has great meaning for the Viennese artist, which is why he also tattooed it on his finger. “Smilies always cheer me up when I’m having a bad day,” Boicut said. Some smileys are hidden in the artwork to spread a good mood in New York.
The artist, his partner Sarah and two assistants painted 100 square meters per hour. They were able to complete the work of art in just five days. They sprayed the large areas with a paint sprayer connected to the electricity, and they painted the small areas with a roller. The artist actually scheduled twice the time for painting. You also have to pay attention to the changeable weather, says Boicut. If the paint hasn’t dried yet, a rain shower could trickle it over areas that are already finished.
However, the planning phase, which started in February, was a lot longer. The shape of the square was particularly challenging, since rectangular areas are usually planned, Boicut said. Nevertheless, the artist tried to keep the sketch abstract and rough. The implementation on the square was more important, since passers-by never see the work as a whole, but only individual details of it.
Further orders in Austria
Through this project, the artist discovered his love for floor painting. “Because I’m slightly afraid of heights, I’m happy when I don’t have to leave the ground for my art,” says Boicut. After the project in New York, many Austrians became aware of the artist, especially through his Instagram account. He has already received a number of similar inquiries domestically. In a few weeks, the new edition of the Austrian dictionary will also be published, for which he was allowed to design the cover.
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