Dick Chicken: Cock of the Block
A sample of the famous Brooklyn Cock on Cock
If you’ve spent any time in some of the hipper parts of Brooklyn, you probably have noticed Dick Chicken. And no, I’m not talking about the fried chicken place. Dick Chicken is a now infamous graffiti artist who has gained notoriety for his playful iconography—namely, his graphic depicting a chicken with a penis for a head. Dick Chicken’s penis poultry has reared its ugly head all over North Brooklyn, on walls, fences, doors, sidewalks, and about anywhere else boasting a couple square feet of blank urban canvas. As with all ballsy artwork, critical response has been mixed.
Those who know and love the artist of fowl foul will be pleased to find out that at long last, this mascot of masculinity will be celebrated with an official bona fide art show in the Williamsburg gallery, 3rd Ward. A spokesperson from the gallery, Nikki Bagli, had this to say:
“He’s obviously really hot right now. For this show, he’s basically going to show everyone everything he’s capable of doing. It’s a diverse show, with lots of versions of the Dick Chicken. You’ll see it outfitted in many different ways.”
The mid-career retrospective, entitled Girls and Snacks will be running at 3rd Ward’s Williamsburg location until November 1, and many art lovers are just delighted. In fact, Dick Chicken is so popular, he even inspired a copycat (or female counterpart) known as Pussy Ham. This character (presumably Dick Chicken’s girlfriend) has been tagged or stenciled next to many occurrences of the cock-faced cock. Isn’t that cute?
But not everybody is as enthusiastic about the cheeky chickens. Some residents of Brooklyn find the character tacky, annoying, or downright offensive. What do you think? I personally regard Dick Chicken as one of the early 21st century’s finest proponents of raw and visceral Art Brut, a veritable Pablo Picasso of poultry penises. Or not, I don’t know…
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