Hrag Vartanian

This photo of a street sculpture by MRToll was hard earned. I ended up in a fight with a crotchy old street vendor who didn’t like me taking photos near his booth. I told him I had a write to take photos on a public sidewalk. Then he tried to stand between me and the sculpture and threw a bag on top of the street art I was photographing. I got pissed and told him that I’m a working art critic and he was not allowing me to do my job and if he continued I’d lodge a complaint with the city, which probably wouldn’t help his permit.

Then things got ugly. Assuming I was American, he asked if I fought for this country. I said no, but I didn’t feel like I had to. He mentioned he was a Vietnam War veteran and he fought for my freedom. I asked him if he took credit for all the bad wars or just the ones he agrees with?

• I love that many people who are otherwise seemingly openminded expect gay married guys to be a certain way. #
• Our Lady of Transformers #streetart #Williamsburg http://t.co/uAPeM8Qv #
• Kristen Jensen’s show at @NorteMaar http://t.co/lmqDybSZ #
• From the Village to 34th Street #Manhattan http://t.co/4z2AZRHV #
• I’m at a new coffee shop but won’t say where it is in case Gothamist or some other site catches on & ruins it for me. #21stCproblems #
• Ok, gearing up for my 1st Mandarin class next week. Is there anyone else who speaks or is trying to learn Mandarin that I can practice with? #
• This man is a mess // @dailykos: Mitt Romney stages reverse Sistah Souljah bellyflop on gay adoption http://t.co/Gbg321jj #
• This is how capitalism always seems to win // Graffiti Writer Gets Pwnd by Marc Jacobs – http://t.co/N2RheBfE #
• Well put // RT @bpiana: @hragv it can be a problem when your protest creates an image for someone who SELLS image. #
• Pure awesome…LOL // RT @richmintz: Also when the baby cried they gave her an iPhone to hold and suck on #reallyhappened #
• I think Williamsburg needs a good @brooklynpublic library west of the BQE. With all the new developments & kids, this is a must. #
• OMG, now I can stalk her online #probablyshouldnothavesaidthatoutloud //@sgentiluomo: Paola’s on Twitter! —> @curiousoctopus #
• The area around Penn Station is a human carnival. #
• Hands on beer. @ Park Avenue Armory http://t.co/dU0S6Gz0 #
• Tom Sachs at the Armory @ Park Avenue Armory http://t.co/e5QP5j9e #
• Welcome to tequila Tuesdays in TriBeCa. #alliterationtrifecta http://t.co/HAluQNnC #
• Me and @VAJIAJIA having fun at the @tumblr Storyboard party. http://t.co/nrN3L4Fv #
• Pic rocks! //@VAJIAJIA: Which one’s better? Internet or IRL? Tequila Tumblr Tom Sachs Tuesday. @MetEveryday @JennetteM http://t.co/vfBqjpLa #
• Guess what made it in the Made In NY tech map. @hyperallergic http://t.co/CFWAEwVd #
• A work by Jeannine Bardo #BrooklynCollegeGradCrits @ Boylan Hall http://t.co/Wtl4geJv #
• Nice use of caps in a tattoo. #BrooklynCollegeGradCrits @ Boylan Hall http://t.co/Zt2Q6uiL #
• Sam Jablon presenting #brooklyncollegegradcrits @ Boylan Hall http://t.co/yFMYtcge #
• Works by Alexander Doolan #brooklyncollegegradcrits @ Boylan Hall http://t.co/UnJiMxry #
• Work by John Ross #brooklyncollegegradcrits @ Boylan Hall http://t.co/lnWPk3NB #
• Another work by John Ross #brooklyncollegegradcrits @ Boylan Hall http://t.co/tPK5wUiZ #
• What a statistic // RT @nydailynews: One-seventh of humanity will cross a country’s border in 2012: UN http://t.co/c9RchQon #
• Detail of Richard Taddei’s “The Kiss” (1989) at @LGBTCenterNYC http://t.co/u65WJF3F #
• The Nat’l Geographic iPad app never fails to blow my mind. #whoa #
• And this one is my favorite for the multiple times of day. Ellis G No.3 #streetart #williamsburg http://t.co/iN8uXVSM #
• Ellis G has hit multiple spots on N6th St. No.1 #streetart #williamsburg http://t.co/uYKPMj9C #
• Ellis G No.2 #streetart #williamsburg http://t.co/7sPQGO2o #
• Does anyone know any magazines or news sources (like blogs) that music composers read? #
• What?! The world is truly post-gay now. // RT @jmcolberg: Donna Summer RIP http://t.co/MEwjB761 http://t.co/FBIA6DfP #
• HA! //@jamesrquinn: Why has no-one started a meme integrating 2 top stories of the day: Donna Summer’s death & Euro crisis? #eurosummer #
• Starfucker // RT @cmonstah: FYI, I once made Donna Summer a cappuccino. #
• Nice to see that Mike Kelley’s project will be realized // Finishing “Mobile Homestead” After the Death of the Artist http://t.co/HyiViXSV #
• BTW, this post ignores class #FAIL //@tmccool: Straight White Male: The Lowest Difficulty Setting There Is – @Kotaku http://t.co/ddyMQ5hb #
• It’s a very sad state of affairs for Afghanistan’s mentally ill — http://t.co/NyTKv6eN #
• #FF If you’re not following @Toure you should. Smart talk. #
• I love that we get trashy sometimes as art critics. Who the hell wants to take everything seriously all the time. #
• #MRToll #streetart work in the heart of #williamsburg …these quirky sculptures always brighten my day. http://t.co/wakgubeU #
• I’m still laughing at this. // Lolcats ARTsCritz http://t.co/0vzHVibO via @hyperallergic #
• Another Ellis G on N6th Street, I didn’t spot yesterday. #streetart #williamsburg http://t.co/MoGfQU4k #
• Kenny Scharf’s “Love” (1989) at the @LGBTCenterNYC http://t.co/0wP50wUL #