5 Pointz, the largest legal aerosol art exhibit in the US is a cultural gem slated to be destroyed – but the artists won’t go down without a fight. Last week, the City Council approved the plans for two enormous residential towers, for which the iconic 5 Pointz building will be demolished. The approval was heartbreaking yet unsurprising news to artists and fans alike. But the next morning, 5 Pointz filed a lawsuit to prevent developers from tearing down the building. Led by curator Jonathan Meres Cohen, the graffiti art collective seeks a temporary restraining order against the buildings’ owners, Jerry and David Wolkoff of G&M Realty. The lawsuit is filed under the 1990 Visual Artists Rights Act, or VARA, which grants artists certain moral rights over their work, regardless of who owns it. This includes the right, under some circumstances, to prevent destruction of a work that is incorporated into a building. 5 Pointz, which the Wolkoffs allowed the… Read More