Knockdown Center New York Unveils Playful New Painted Mural by Mark Mulroney on Display Until September

Live music and art coincide at Knockdown Center with the addition of artist Mark Mulroney’s ‘Vessels’ mural, being displayed in the East Corridor now through September 4.

There’s nothing quite like summer in New York: From picnics in Central Park to sunsets at Coney Island, walks along the water at South Street Seaport to flea markets in Dumbo, there’s something for everyone. And it’s not just the outdoors that bloom and come back to life during these illustrious months–the NYC dance scene is also back in full swing.

From Sundays spent at Nowadays to late nights (or should we say early mornings?) at the Brooklyn Mirage, from dusk sets at the Elsewhere rooftop to secret warehouse shows (Location: TBA), no one does summer quite like New York City. Knockdown Center, located in Maspeth, Queens, is at the heart of the scene with a summer lineup like no other–so far WIRE FESTIVAL, a birthday celebration for Benny Soto, and a bonafide Boiler Room set are all slated for the 2023 season. 

While the music is what may attract one to Knockdown Center in the first place, the ambiance is what makes the crowd come back again and again. Knockdown Center is known for taking its visuals just as seriously as its sonic journey, and this summer is no exception. Enter: Mark Mulroney, a visual artist based in North Haven, CT, whose mural ‘Vessels’ is being displayed at the venue through September. 

The display is part of Knockdown Center’s FiftyTwo Ft. series of wall-based commissions in the East Corridor. ‘Vessels’ is especially exciting as it marks the triumphant return of the series to the historic venue since January 2020. The display is a collaboration between Knockdown Center itself and Mrs., a local Maspeth-based gallery that assisted in the curation and commission of the work. 

Much like music itself, Mulroney’s work is situated within the fine lines between humor and seriousness, sadness and laughter. “Mulroney provides levity in an art universe choking with sober academia,” Effie Bowen wrote for Bomb Magazine in 2013. “Depending on your mental state at the time, any piece could cause an onslaught of laughter or of tears. His playful inventiveness acts as a flashback to youthful fantasies fraught with appendageal obsessions and a reveling in cartoon gore and guts.”

The emotions evoked by ‘Vessels’ is similar to the rare and radical history of the Knockdown Center itself, making the artistic commission a match made in heaven. The venue has been in use for over 100 years, first as the Gleason-Tiebout glass factory and later as Manhattan Door factory before being transformed into the illustrious performance space it’s known as today. 

‘Vessels’ by Mark Mulroney will be on view through September 4, 2023.