Have you been wondering what’s the deal with the graffiti walls in Venice? They’re currently behind a chain link fence barricade and street art on the beach is under a forced hiatus. Apparently it is all to do with toxic paint and Los Angeles rain.
The recent rain in Venice caused years and years worth of spray paint to crack off a couple of the walls and Recreation and Parks, concerned about lead contamination from the paint, have fenced off the walls until a decision is made on what to do with them.
Councilman Mike Bonin had this to say: “I love public art and the community character that the graffiti walls add to Venice Beach and I am very proud of helping to create and maintain the walls. The walls are currently undergoing maintenance and my office is working with the Department of Rec and Parks to get this work done quickly so public art can resume on the walls as soon as humanly possible.”
Bonin said the walls also needed to undergo maintenance because after years of painting and repainting, there was about six inches of accumulated paint, which amounted to a few thousand pounds.
“When some of the paint started to chip off with the rain, it was tested to make sure there wasn’t any lead paint (it was confirmed Monday that there wasn’t any lead paint on the wall) and the work is simply being done to get rid of the hazard presented by the substantial and heavy chunks of paint accumulated on the wall that could fall off,” Bonin said.
