DKNY
ARTWORKS
In 2008, the DKNY mural on Houston Street came down after 16 years, and Soho lost the Peter Arnell-created visual that many had come to view as a city landmark.
This project was a direct result of the constant queries about the wall since it came down. DKNY Artworks brought back the concept behind the brand’s iconic Soho wall mural, while amplifying its global presence.
They commissioned 10 artists from 10 cities – New York, London, Paris, Milan, Dubai, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Seoul and Tokyo – to reinterpret both the original wall and the city of New York in individual murals, to give their spin on the company’s logo via billboards, installations and kiosks.
There were two artist selections for New York: twin brother artists How and Nosm created an installation of the four-large-letter billboards for Times Square at 48th Street and Seventh Avenue, while Amy Gartrell’s take on the DKNY logo was on display in the Madison Avenue DKNY flagship, in Yankee Stadium, on digital screens at JFK Airport’s terminal one and covering the Hamptons Jitney in July. London graffiti artist Roids created a three-dimensional logo installation that moved to different top-secret locations, reminiscent of a treasure hunt.
For Dubai and Kuwait City, Tehran-born artist Sasan Nasernia used Persian and Arabic calligraphy in abstract ways inside the letters. Other artists included Christophe Hamaide-Pierson for Paris, Maurizio Galimberti for Milan, Calvin Ho for Hong Kong, Nod Young for Shanghai, Junkhouse for Seoul and Yamaguchi Soichi for Tokyo.