Street Art Feud: Adrian Wilson vs. Dan Cameron
Never has so much middle-aged white guy energy been so misrepresented
Above: Street art piece by Adrian Wilson.
Street artist Adrian Wilson sure has a way of getting under people’s skin. Because of pandemic quarantines and the ensuing sanity walks, street art grew in importance in the lives of urbanites around the country and beyond. Wilson, famous for among other things, writing punny statements on discarded furniture, recently wrote “SEX AND THE SETTEE” on a canary yellow mid-century sofa. The Stooping NYC Insta community, big into sustainability and reclaiming discarded treasures, got up in arms over the piece, claiming that Wilson ruined a perfectly good sofa. There was a good discussion on the matter in places like Curbed, but always Adrian Wilson pushed forward, never conceding any ground on his artistic integrity.
In the corner to my left, “Pugnacious” Adrian Wilson, image via abctv
That was then; this is now. In the last week, art curator Dan Cameron posted an Insta (since deleted) of a new Wilson piece -- a discarded mattress transformed into the cover of a parody Tolstoy Penguin Classic ("Wear and Piss"). Dan Cameron didn't cite the "artist" when it was called to his attention by commenters. That, of course, is a no-no in street art where the fame is in the name. Cameron, like Wilson, does not back down. And, you can imagine, irresistible force met immovable object.
On Facebook Cameron responded, calling the work “an amusing piece of refuse (oh snap)” and, further:
... I was informed by various people that the funny image I'd posted was a work of art by someone who deserved to be publicly credited for their creation, which I honestly assumed was just a continuation of the joke. Then, after I decided to sleep on the question of what exactly we were all talking about & where my responsibilities lay in this matter, I found myself on Sunday morning subjected to insults, harassment, and overall bullying that carried over into today, when I woke up on my first morning in beautiful Honolulu feeling like someone had set a pack of braying social media hounds on me.
Of course Wilson returned fire on Insta. Of course he did. Wilson responded, in part:
Oh look, Dan deleted the post instead of simply adding an artist credit.
Now he's claiming on Facebook that he's become a complete victim of ‘baying hounds’ who have made him ‘throw up a little’ on ‘beautiful Honolulu’.
Apparently his only regret wasn't that he flatly refused to add an artist's credit, it was walking down E3rd Street.
Awww, let's hear it for poor old self righteous Dan.
Beautiful Honolulu, indeed.
“Eastern Assasin” Dan Cameron, image via MuseumPublicity
Most commentators sided with Wilson. Cameron, a professional curator, they argued, should know to cite street artists when one is flagged on social by knowledgeable commentators. Even New York Magazine Senior Art Critic Jerry Saltz weighed in, arguing pro-citation. Still, Cameron resists citing Wilson as of this post going live.
So it is at present a legit street art feud. One, curiously enough, involving two well off middle -aged men. #FirstworldProblems #StreetsIsWatching
Honest Question: Should Adrian Wilson get cited as an artist for transforming mattresses into witty commentary? Does this actually fall into the category of street art?
Shots fired over insta, but sadly more nerf than glizzy :-) (And yes, Wilson @plannedalsim should def be cited.)