Vicki DaSilva Lights Up Times Square
June 20, 2012
NEW YORK— This Monday evening Vicki DaSilva lit up Times Square with a twenty-three-story tall light-graffiti installation titled “Jasmine/Never Sorry (for Ai Weiwei).” The work, which spells out “never sorry” in cheery cursive loops, replaces a neon-yellow Sprint ad.
DaSilva has never been represented by a major gallery or museum; a substitute teacher, she was discovered online through Youtube videos, and, most recently, by the site Artistswanted.org. Along with platforms such as Behance.net and EveryArt.com, Artistswanted.org seeks out and publicizes undiscovered talent. Working independently of established art-world channels, the site hopes to contribute to an internet-based democratization of culture. DaSilva’s installation, for example, was the winner of an online contest with over 35,000 competitors. “Great talent deserves endless attention…this is your moment to be discovered,” reads the site’s mission statement.
In the past six months visits to Artistswanted.org have quintupled from 41,000 in January to 208,000 this April—and the company reported a revenue of 1.3 million for last year. Albert Wenger, a recent investor in the competitor start-up Behance.net, explains, “the Internet…turn[s] hobbies into things that are, in some instances, a global opportunity.”
Image via Vicki DaSilva Personal Site
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