The Past and the Future Was Now – SoHo, NYC 2020

Last summer in NYC was very special. During the 25 years I spent here I never saw anything like that. First the virus struck and the city changed unrecognizably and later the public unrest due to the killing of George Floyd turned this town into a “plywood kingdom.” I walked around SoHo and could not believe my eyes. SoHo was back in the seventies when it still was a vibrant artist area with the feel of the neighborhood. Streets were empty of traffic, there was no crowd, fancy shopping stopped completely and old locals took to the streets. They were out playing with the kids, having street parties, or just meeting neighbors. The stillness and ambience was prevailing and the mood was uplifting in a kind of weird way, because pandemic was still in full force. The artist came back to SoHo with all that street art it was missing for a while. I was thinking to myself – could it last forever? And for a moment it felt like a start of the new beginning at least for now…