Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Why The 'Elliott Smith Wall' Looks Different Right Now
If you pass by the Silver Lake mural that's been nicknamed the "Elliott Smith wall," you might notice that its signature red, black and white colors are gone and replaced with brand new colors. Why the change? Well, it's all for the sake of art.
The iconic mural that's emblazoned across the wall of the Solutions! electronic repair store located on 4334 West Sunset Blvd. served as the backdrop for Smith's Figure 8 album, and it has since been an unofficial memorial for the singer since his death in 2003. While the same S-shape is still on the wall, the colors of the stripes and background have now changed to six different shades—from light purple to green and orange—and all associated with the nude color.
Wade McElroy, the co-owner of downtown L.A. restaurant Horse Thief, who is partly behind all of this, tells LAist that it's not clear how long this new look will stay up, if not indefinitely. It's part of an art show called "Denude" that his friend and N.Y.-based artist Mike Egan is curating inside the space. Egan is also the mastermind behind the new colors covering the mural.
The connection McElroy has to the space is that he and his Horse Thief partner Russell Malixi are planning on opening a new restaurant there, next to Dinosaur Coffee, in the fall of 2016. They're leasing the space from Solutions! The name of the new restaurant, Bar Angeles, even pays homage to one of Smith's songs. Since they have the space, he and Egan thought it would be great to throw an art show there.
Support for LAist comes from
McElroy says all the details with the wall are done for a specific purpose, from the flesh tones to the matte paint, rather than glossy. According to a release from Ramiken Crucible, the gallery behind Egan's art show, the "Denude" theme has several meanings:
If Denude has value as the title of this art exhibition, it is because this title has multiple simultaneous utilities. Denude means to strip away, to lay bare. Denude refers to the demolished nature of the physical space this exhibition inhabits, which will soon become a restaurant. And Denude is a possibility for the future, that there might be a way forward in America not by becoming more tolerant, but by stripping falsehoods away.
There isn't an exact public opening date for the art show yet, but McElroy says it should be next weekend, and he may open it for a few hours at a time. In the meantime, you can enjoy the new look of the mural as you pass it by.
Update 11/23, 8:50 a.m.: In an earlier version of this story, McElroy said that they were thinking about painting the mural back to its earlier colors in about a month's now. Since the interview, that plan has now changed, and it's not clear how long the new mural will stay up, if not indefinitely.
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
After rising for years, the number of residential installations in the city of Los Angeles began to drop in 2023. The city isn’t subject to recent changes in state incentives, but other factors may be contributing to the decline. -
The L.A. City Council approved the venue change Wednesday, which organizers say will save $12 million in infrastructure costs.
-
Taxes on the sale of some newer apartment buildings would be lowered under a plan by Sacramento lawmakers to partially rein in city Measure ULA.
-
The union representing the restaurant's workers announced Tuesday that The Pantry will welcome back patrons after suddenly shutting down six months ago.
-
If approved, the more than 62-acre project would include 50 housing lots and a marina less than a mile from Jackie and Shadow's famous nest overlooking the lake.
-
The U.S. Supreme Court lifted limits on immigration sweeps in Southern California, overturning a lower court ruling that prohibited agents from stopping people based on their appearance.
Best of LAist