Angel Ortiz, aka LA II: A Day In The Life With Keith Haring (Video)

L-R: Angel Ortiz and Keith Haring 1982 exhibition flier and Haring's tribute mural filled in by Ortiz by Flickr user wallyg

Angel Ortiz, a.k.a. LA II, is talking. Kenny Scharf's mural on the Bowery Wall was again "attacked" twice this week by other graffiti artists. LA II, and early collaborator of Keith Haring, was responsible on one occasion.

"All they want to do is paint and have sex."  

In 2008, LA II famously filled in the Haring mural on the wall. The "onetime protégé of Haring," as The New York Times wrote, LA feels inadequately credited and compensated for artwork he helped create with Haring. Just last week, Clayton Patterson laid out a case in The Villager documenting the lack of attribution and credit due Ortiz.

In video uploaded to YouTube on March 5, Ortiz recounts a day in life with Haring in 1980. This included painting for more than 12 hours, a stop at Paradise Garage, "Larry the Van," Quaaludes, "The Punch," Voguing, dancing until the 9am ("the club closes at 9:30"), scheming to take three guys home, heading out to Coney Island, and more.

Shepard Fairey Not Interested In Bringing Back Keith Haring Mural

Shepard Fairey's muraltisement on Houston Street faces frequent defacement, and it seemed the Fairey team had given up on removing all instances that. The recent call to "Bring Back The Haring" however, was quickly blacked out. It's a moot point anyways, the Haring mural was painted over last year, but the sentiment is understood.

The truth is, Shepard's mural, succumbing to the vagaries of the street and tarnished with various acts of graffiti and vandalism, looks more historic and pleasing than it ever did prior. It is almost iconic, becoming some kind of visual representation of the struggles of a different kind happening all around it on the Bowery. 

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