SoHo's boarded-up streets evoke de Chirico after lockdown and protests

In the wake of New York's lockdown and Black Lives Matter protests, the streets of SoHo have been transformed into a surreal landscape reminiscent of a Giorgio de Chirico painting. Shop windows and loft facades are covered with wooden boards of varying textures and tones, replacing reflective glass with warm, porous wood. Protesters and street artists have left their marks overnight, including JR's COVID-19-themed project, before the area between Broadway and West Broadway, Houston and Broome was closed to non-residents—a measure not seen since post-9/11. Designer Christiane Lemieux and her daughter Isabelle were seen painting boards near their home, with Lemieux stating, "Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring have lived and worked here, and this is our way of paying homage to them in these strange days." The article, by Francesca Magnani for Artribune, captures the eerie beauty of the altered urban landscape.