The image of Leda Antonia Machado created by Cuban-American artist, José Parlá and French street artist, JR, on a crumbling facade in Havana could be viewed as a symbol of survival. At the age of 94, the subject has lived through the Cuban revolution and all that followed, and although the building is rapidly deteriorating, her gaze remains steady. Almost from the time she re-appeared on the the side of a gallery in the Manhattan neighborhood of Chelsea in 2013, however, she began to disappear, as new real estate development began to take hold. But Mr. Parlá seems to take it in stride and accepts that, “When you’re painting on the street, you know you’re going to get covered up. It’s ephemeral and we accept that.” Thankfully Rivka Katvan took the time to document this beautiful piece of ephemera, before it was completely gone from view by May 2016. To read more about the project check out this recent article in the New York Times.
Rivka Katvan Documents Art on the Street
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