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The Creepy, Yet Beautiful Street Art of Dan Witz Now in L.A.
For the past two weeks, Brooklyn-based street artist Dan Witz has been in Los Angeles. And although he's put up about 20 pieces throughout Echo Park, Silver Lake, Hollywood and West Hollywood, he's not about to give away their locations.
"He's not trying to be seen the way other street artists are," explained Seth Carmichael, co-owner of Carmichael Gallery of Contemporary Art, where Witz' show runs through December 3rd. "For him, it's about not being seen by everybody except for those people who deserve to see it, and those who are the people he cares about."
Witz, a formal artist by day, has been doing street art for 30 years. His collection of Dark Doings, now at the gallery and on L.A.'s streets, came out of a visit last year to Amsterdam's Red Light district. The women behind the glass unnerved him a bit, but also made him realize there's dark stuff behind every surface and wall.
What Wtiz does is take fake painted windows and installs them on blank walls and doors around cities. They are quiet and usually go unnoticed, but that's Witz' point. "I love the idea of putting these up on high traffic locations, having thousands of people walk by everyday and not see them," he explained. "And having them be fairly obvious yet somehow they are just below people's radar."
And if you're lucky enough to find one that no one has noticed, it's quite a magical moment. Witz even hid a piece in the gallery (see photo above). A heating vent placed near the floor went unnoticed to most.
"Eventually, someone will see one," Witz said. "And they'll go, like, 'What else have I been missing?' and they will start looking around more... That's what art is supposed to do--wake people up, open their eyes, get them to question reality a little bit more."
With his intentionally low key and quiet works, they may last on L.A.'s streets for months or even years. If you're ever walking down the street and see someone peering out the window, it just might be Witz.
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