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Giant Ninja in pajamas goes to sleep somewhere else

New mural in Dewey Square

Our own Swirlygrrl reports workers took down the Dewey Square mural by Os Gemeos and began putting up its replacement - some black and white seascapey thing.

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Comments

Looks like secret Muslim writing if you ask me.

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Clearly.

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Probably too much to ask to have a giant sandworm bursting out of the top of the mural, with Kyle McLachlan riding it.

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...and playing a Fender Precision.

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Oh yes.

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Have you seen the new design yet, Adam? Seascape is overly generous. Ritchie's abstractions can claim whatever inspiration is convenient for securing the commission, but the truth is, they all look much more like his other works than they do his putative subjects.

There's a small part of me that can't help but wonder if the ICA, thoroughly miffed at the reception of the Os Gemeos mural, deliberately selected an austere, monochromatic, abstract replacement and timed it to go up just at the start of fall, to leave the city staring at it in depressive silence through the winter. You thought that last work was too playful, too bright and colorful? I imagine them thinking, Well, see how well you like thisinstead.

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It's like a great grey spitting snail! Way better than the last piece. I think people will love it!

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I think it's the best thing to happen to Boston in 15 years, EASILY. Please let the noise snail be a reality.

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It's a relief to see the cartoon painted over. The bright colors were interesting, but beyond that...
Looking forward to seeing the new mural.

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It was a fun bit of mild wierdness in a city that needs to take itself less seriously sometimes. As an installation that was always intended to be temporary, I think it was a success.

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Of course art is subjective and I don't mind 'a fun bit of mild weirdness' as you put it, but I would prefer the design/subject-matter to be a little more sophisticated for the financial district. A cartoon-ish mural is more appropriate near the Children's Museum.

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What better statement could have been made? At any rate,I thought the former work was great precisely because it generated so much debate. A location like that shouldn't be wasted on something banal, that only served to blend in. The new piece is also something I suspect I'll like, but I doubt it will generate as much reflection on meaning.

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...basically across the Channel from it.

I enjoyed it, especially since paranoiacs thought it was some sort of muslim terrorist message....then the first time I saw it I thought, oh Ralphie Wiggum got his sweater stuck over his head, what's the big deal? And his feet look weird.

I'm also perfectly fine with letting another artist have their 'turn' at the space. Irony is I was in the area earlier today and didn't even notice...D'OH!

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Truly an unintended bonus.

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Who have a carload of "racist" labels ready at all times. While some morons certainly did identify the mural as a middle-eastern terrorist, last time I checked there weren't any census forms that listed middle eastern or terrorist as a race.

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last time I checked there weren't any census forms that listed middle eastern or terrorist as a race.

Q. E. Fucking D.

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I think you're giving bigots too much credit for making fine distinctions, and also giving the Census too much authority on the subject.

The question to me is whether these fools consider middle-eastern to be a race. I think they do. Remember the marathon bombers (literal Caucasians), and the claims that because they were muslims, they couldn't be white? Similarly, anti-semites tend to take the existence of the "Jewish Race" as a given.

Also, bleeding hearts? Are you from 1980 or something?

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I liked it, but am happy to see a change. I'm looking forward to seeing what's next.

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finally came to their senses.

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At the time, the Greenway said 18 months, but it started to fade or peel earlier than expected.

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That hideous picture is finally gone! It was just plain ugly. If Boston wants to put up street art can they please put up something that is relevant and nice to look at? But since this display I doubt they know anything about real art. Better to have a plain white wall.

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So how do they determine what is "real art" and what is nice to look at? Should they ask you personally? Or just go with whatever is the most popular thing on the internet currently and just put up a poster for One Direction?

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Well you have to ask *somebody*. Otherwise they could blow up my niece's fingerpaintings and call it art.

And without wading into the whole "art/not art" debate, I do think the previous mural was ugly and boring, and "ninja" was never the first thing I identified it with (what true ninja dresses in those colors)?

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A seascape? After so many fishermen from the area have died in storms? Insensitive and hurtful.

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Lets drain the Ocean!

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It's about time. The primer was offensive to the Albino community.

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It was whimsical and colorful... something you don't see that often in the Financial District. What a breath of fresh air it was...

Le sigh...

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My friend's 3 yr. old's bedroom is whimsical and colorful too, but doesn't mean I want Boston to look that way. I'd prefer to see a mural by a talented local artist with a theme that was thought-provoking, but that's just me.

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I enjoyed seeing the youngster peering out to the city. Hope his new home is a pleasant place.

I was one of those folks who scoffed at the mural - except that I wanted to let the mural grow on me if it would. To my pleasant surprise I developed an affection for the fellow. He looked to me to be a shy fellow who most likely would have been very excited when he felt safe. The colors were fun and enlivened the space even in winter.

Best of all? The kid was respected as far as I could tell. No one "added" to the mural. In spite of too many graffiti vandals (most graffiti is just marking territory afterall) no one took their marker and added their own mark.

For my money the mural was a success.

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Sometime artwork is intended to provoke strong reactions in those who view it. This piece certainly succeeded in that regard, even if that wasn't the artist's actual intention. Some people were delighted by the mural while others found it highly offensive.

The first time I saw the mural, I thought it was absolutely hideous. After walking past it a number of times, my opinion softened to just plain ugly. The artist can be proud of all the publicity and controversy it caused, but add me to the list of people glad to see it gone!

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The flag raising at Iwo Jima, iconic as it is, was staged after the photographer could not get the right pose from the Marines lifting the flag. It is beautiful, but we already have this statue in DC.

Still, whatever is going on the side of this building is better than the Nike or iPad ad that will eventually go there when the State needs more money to cover mouse removal in the State House.

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