Art-Driven Pedestrian Plaza to Seal Doyers Street Next Month

For the second year running, the so-called “Bloody Angle” is temporarily closed to traffic. The Chinatown Partnership (a business improvement district) sealed Doyers Street during daytime hours to create a pedestrian plaza.

As part of the initiative, the Partnership tapped Hangzhou artist Chen Dongfan to paint the 4,851 square-foot street mural – so-called “Asphalt Art” – with work having commenced last Friday. Doyers Street is permanently closed until the art is complete, which is probably around July 27. But the pedestrian plaza schedule won’t actually begin until August 1.

This initial painting period is not sitting well with businesses on the block, though. We hear that at least twelve merchants signed a quick petition against the twenty-four-hour closure time, including Nom Wah Tea Parlor and Ting’s Gift Shop. (Also, the sanitation crews can’t pick up garbage.)

Petition against the full closure for art

There were nine submissions, but this piece, dubbed “The Song of Dragons and Flowers,” emerged victorious.

“Chinatown’s history is full of hardship, but also full of love,” Dongfan said in a statement. “I was inspired by the immigrant experience and how they perceive this neighborhood as home. Thus, I believe that dragon, both from its visual form and the cultural meaning, can best represent the area. Instead of depicting the form of the dragon on the street, I choose to capture the soul and spirit of this mythical animal, as a visual embodiment of the lasting Chinese cultural heritage.”

The street closure runs daily from 10am to 9pm beginning August 1, and lasts through November.

Visit our mural install with #ChenDongfan at Doyers St. #SeasonalStreet in @ChinatownNYC He'll be there installing until July 27th! 😀 "The Song of Dragon and Flowers" mural was made possible by @NYC_DOT #DOTArt #FouGallery #ChinatownPartnership pic.twitter.com/AIUUbhSGNp

— ArtBridge (@ArtBridge) July 14, 2018