The precipitous, but completely avoidable fallout following Kanye’s remarks on Twitter continues. More and more businesses, big and small, have publicly condemned and cut ties with the rapper. Now, there’s backlash from the art world. On Wednesday, a mural of Ye in Chicago was painted over by the original artist, at the request of the building’s owner.
Where Is The Mural?
It’s on 958 W. Lake St in Chicago’s West Loop.
Footage of the paint job was retweeted by Jason Peterson, who created the photo realistic portrait. He didn’t offer any commentary.
Ye’s image is now a silhouette, while the background text is still visible.
When Was The Mural Painted?
According to Chicago Sun Times, “the mural, which has faced West Lake Street near Morgan Street since 2021, had featured an 8-foot-high, photo-realistic painting of Ye over graffiti-style text, designed by artist Jason Peterson, who maintains office space in the West Loop.”
Scott Wilson, the founder of MINIMAL Design, which owns the building, asked Peterson to do something about the Ye painting.
Wilson said, “dude, we’ve got to do something. It seems like a lot of things Ye has said over the years get dismissed as just his creative genius, but some things just cross the line.”
“As a creative person, I understand that art is about free expression and a statement of beliefs, but some things just cross a line.”
Another Establishment In Chicago Also Cut Ties With Ye
Wieners Circle, a restaurant in Chicago, which specializes in hot dogs, drew a line in the sand as well.
They tweeted, “Chicago has officially dropped Kanye as a spokesperson.”
They also shared a photo of their marquee which reads, “Kanye can suck our Kosher dogs.”
