London-based artist, Lakwena, is the latest visionary to take command of the Bowery Mural Wall, located at the intersection of Houston and Bowery. Last week, she unveiled her colorful, kaleidescopic piece, which reads “Lift You Higher.” According to Bowery Boogie, the piece is a “marketing stunt” for Instagram’s #KindComments campaign in partnership with Goldman Properties, which owns and curates the wall.
As part of the campaign, Instagram is working with artists to turn walls around the world into murals that spread kindness through uplifting art. Instagram encourages its users take photos or videos of the walls, and share #KindComments “to make someone’s day.”
Lakwena Maciver, who is just the fourth woman of 22 artists who have been commissioned to work on the wall, is known for her use of powerful messages, bold colors and geometric patterns. “I was thinking recently about how my mother used to lead protest marches in London,” she says. “Probably the first type of graphic work I ever did was banners for those marches. That was when I realized how important words are.”
Lakwena’s positive piece follows a wave of controversy surrounding the previous Bowery Mural, which was created by Korean-artist David Choe. Within four days of completion, the mural was defaced multiple times in response to Choe’s admitted “rapey behavior” towards a masseuse, which he recounted in a podcast with pornstar Asa Akira. The wall was painted over in white amid community pressure.
Korean-artist David Choe’s mural
Lakwena’s mural, the first in a series of 10 forthcoming #KindComment walls, is now on view through January 2018. For those who are unable to visit the walls in person, Instagram encourages users to participate in the campaign by using its kindness-themed, heart-shaped stickers in Instagram Stories, which were created by members of its global community.
Next, check out past iterations of the Bowery Mural and check out 17 art installations and exhibits not to miss in October.