Williamsburg blogger INSIJS, hot on the trail of the paint vandalizing Splasher on N. 6th Street, seemed to come so close last night that he got wet wheatpaste on his fingers. What he found, however, wasn't the work of the Splasher, but Splasher-like posters for American Apparel. His conclusion:
American Apparel IS the Splasher. Their clever marketing department cooked up the original Manifesto and began posting it and splashing prominent Faile, Obey, Banksy, etc works in key AA neighborhoods - the Lower East Side and Williamsburg, knowing it would spark a controversy among hipsters and artists. Much to American Apparel's delight, prominent NY news outlets including New York Magazine and the NY Times picked up the story. The Times has run two stories, including a huge splash (sorry) on the front of Thursday's Metro section.
Delighted by the unexpected press, American Apparel decides to cash out, hiring a local street artist to paste up the mashed-up ads, and exposing itself as the culprit...That, or the Splasher's gone corporate on us. Either way, we'll get them him next time...
Or it could be a strange attempt to ride the Splasher wave?
· The Splasher IS American Apparel [INSIJS]
· Is the Splasher Really American Apparel? [Gothamist]
· The Splasher Goes Mainstream [Curbed]