Welcome to Wet Paint in the Wild, the freewheeling—and free!—spinoff of Artnet News Pro’s beloved Wet Paint gossip column, where we give art-world insiders a disposable camera to chronicle their lives on the circuit. To read the latest Wet Paint column, click here (members only).
You may know Rob Cristofaro for a few different reasons: as Rob1970, his street art tag; for ALIFE, the streetwear brand popular in the late 1990s among the downtown art set including Kunle Martins-Irak, Jim Joe, and Dash Snow; that Jeffrey Deitch asked him to organize a show of street art that is still talked about today. Most recently, he published a “Who’s Who” of downtown New York with Puma, and since he has some authority on the matter, I asked him to take photos leading up to the grand reveal. Let’s take a look at what he got up to…
Smaller Fountain – Edition of 25, sold on Virgil Abloh’s Canary Yellow web shop. Made with Parisian manufacturer Non Sans Raison/Porcelaine De Limoges
Odeon ticket—neighborhood go-to. Shout out to Roya the hostess with the mostess and Harry McNally.
Westside Coffee Shop—best Spanish food in Tribeca, OG classic (323 Church St).
The Earth Room buzzer (blurry) 141 Wooster—DIA gem in the heart of Soho since 1977.
Rob1970 sidewalk signature, Soho.
Arturo’s—Greenwich Village institution—live piano also!
Walter De Maria’s Broken Kilometer, another hidden DIA gem smack in the middle of Soho since 1979.
Anish Kapoor in Tribeca just opened.
Louis Vuitton and Rob1970 editions, five objects in an edition of 40 each. Made for the LV200 exhibition in NYC.
Lucien—Classic French Bistro / hangout of the cultural Who’s Who.
Lucien proprietor, Zac Bahaj.
Mistake photo.
@crooknyc at Newco Studio Practice.
Outside of Puma/Newco, Who’s Who NYC release.
Puma/Newco Who’s Who NYC release with Peter @newyorkrobbery, Dice @thecityofgods, and Rob.
Who’s Who NYC release with Alain @alainlevittphotography and William @gauchedamned.
Cobrasnake and Rob at Puma/Newco, Who’s Who NYC release.
Treis & Saphira Hill/Rob.