joel zimmer, finding love in unlikely places

Joel Zimmer is no stranger to this blog, and for the last couple of years I’ve been watching his 365 projects unfold. One charming offshoot has been his discovery of odes to love all over the borough. Who knew that graffiti artists held such a soft spot for the lovey-dovey?

I spoke with Joel to ask if this series was a surprise to him, and he had a thought-provoking response:

In terms of finding and documenting the sentiments there’s two parts of it: one is that temporality - it’s a brutally honest and potential short term declaration of emotions to a large audience. The second element is that most of this street art is hidden in one way or another, normally behind a construction fence or on a relatively abandoned street. There’s an interesting contrast between the bleakness of the surroundings and the messages posted on the walls.

It almost always comes as a surprise to me. I do read some other sites that focus on street art like Robots Will Kill, Unurth, and Brooklyn Street Art, but for the most part these are things I happen upon when I walk around!

What a great set they are, and a happy surprise to me as well! If you’re interested in buying one of Joel’s prints for your sweetheart, hop on over to his Etsy and check out the Valentine’s Day street art posts at Robots Will Kill and Brooklyn Street Art for more!