Once practically a gallery of his work, DUMBO has lost much of the work by graffit artist REVS in the last few years. The REVS and PEEK mural on Front Street was painted over and many ofhis sculptures have been cut off their welds, probably bound for private collections or profits. Fortunately for the neighborhood that must tolerate an uninspired Nike ad, REVS is back, painting a fire and ice themed mural with KAVES of Lordz of Brooklyn. The mural is even crowned with one of his coveted sculptures, high up of course, so it’s less attractive to thieves. DJ Rob Low even caught the action:
I looked out my damn window Saturday and saw two guys painting over the old mural at the corner of York and Bridge Street in Brooklyn, near the Manhattan Bridge. By the time Sunday rolled around, the pieces were taking shape, and I could see that it was graffiti legends Revs and Kaves (from Lordz of Brooklyn) doing a new production. I introduced myself and they told me it was the first time they had painted together in 20 years… two Bay Ridge boys from the ’80s.
A new Nike advertisement is up on the corner of Jay and Front Street in DUMBO, the same wall that used to feature a great mural by REVS and PEEK. But for some unknown reason it was buffed in April 2005—which we never understood—and the wall has been gray ever since. Now DUMBO is stuck with Nike’s big boring ad for stretching. Photos I took of the original mural and its subsequent 3 year gray period are included below.
Craigslist is pretty much the one-stop spot for everything you could possibly want: new apartments, better jobs, sketchy “massages”, drunk clowns, cheap bikes, or weirdos as crazy as you are. It’s not surprising then that this is where a 4 foot tall, 80 pound metal sculpture by REVS turns up after being ripped right off the street. We’ve got no love for the collectors (read: assholes) who jack REVS sculptures from the street, but it’s hard to understand why they wouldn’t hold on to this after the trouble of prying one loose.
When REVS says, “I like people that just do what they do, whether it makes sense or it don’t” he’s describing himself and the persistence with which he’s made his name across the city. Whether pasting COST & REVS across the city, painting giant on rooftops, recording his life story on the subway tunnels, or welding metal sculptures on the street, REVS has consistently innovated with the biggest and baddest work in New York City. If anything doesn’t make sense, it’s that he’s kept the mystery all these years, while others sell sneakers, t-shirts and videos.
In the NY Times article by Randy Kennedy, REVS said, “Once money changes hands for art, it becomes a fraudulent activity.” Clearer copies of the photos we provided for that article can be seen here and here. Soon after the story ran, most of the sculptures pictured disappeared. Consider that as you watch REVS installing one of his metal sculptures, the 400 pound, Teenage Piece.
Once practically a gallery of his work, DUMBO has lost much of the work by graffit artist REVS in the last few years. The REVS and PEEK mural on Front Street was painted over and many of his sculptures have been cut off their welds, probably bound for private collections or profits. Fortunately for the neighborhood that must tolerate an uninspired Nike ad, REVS is back, painting a fire and ice themed mural with KAVES of Lordz of Brooklyn. The mural is even crowned with one of his coveted sculptures, high up of course, so it’s less attractive to thieves. DJ Rob Low even caught the action: 
