Three koi fish painted on a Milwaukee east side sidewalk were vandalized twice over a few days. The tranquil black, orange, and white fish with a black shadow for a 3D floating effect were first spray-painted with the word “f*g.” The homeowner who commissioned the artwork wanted it to bring a moment of joy for neighborhood residents and passersby. The artist repainted the fish after they were erased and covered in black paint, but the koi were defaced again with fluorescent green paint and the gay slur. Residents described the vandalism as upsetting and linked it to anger and harm that the community does not need.
"Kaleta stood over what was once a tranquil piece of street art: three koi fish painted on the sidewalk. Now they were defaced, twice over a few days, with the word "f*g" spray-painted next to them. "Really, it's upsetting," she said."
""She really wanted them to be something for everybody, people in the neighborhood, people that pass by," Novy said. "Just to bring them a little moment of joy." "A lot of people really enjoy and resonate with this image of the koi being a very peaceful, not political, thing in the world," the artist added."
"But recently, the koi were erased from the sidewalk, covered over in black paint. Novy said he and the homeowner thought the perpetrator might be someone who thought the art was graffiti. Novy repainted the fish over the weekend, but just a day later, the koi were defaced again. This time, the fish were spraypainted with fluorescent green paint, with the gay slur added next to them."
Read at LGBTQ Nation
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