The Anonymous Street Artist Who Celebrates Women of Color
By Lena McEachern
Embedded deep within the Lower East Side lies Freeman Alley, a vibrant space for street artists to freely paste their artwork. A portrait of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the junior congresswoman from the Bronx, carries the slogan “What would AOC do?” Further down, a mass of green $20 bills bearing the face of Harriet Tubman decorate the wall. The pieces are not just in Freeman Alley -- the anonymous artist’s work can be found in New York, Los Angeles, London and Hong Kong.
Operating with a genderless persona, Brooklyn-based street artist Captain Eyeliner creates political art across New York City that spotlights notable women, including Tubman and AOC. With representation of women of color in street art being minimal and the current US Treasury Department delaying the replacement of Andrew Jackson by Tubman on the $20 bill, Captain Eyeliner aims to combat history’s erasure of women.
“If they’re not going to put her on the $20 bill, I am,” the street artist said via phone interview. “I’m going to put it everywhere so you can’t not think about it.”
Two years after Trump was elected President, Captain Eyeliner, whose artist’s name was chosen by a friend’s teen-aged daughter, felt compelled to do something in the name of women’s rights. Before the confirmation hearing of Brett Kavanaugh, in which the U.S. Supreme Court justice nominee was accused of sexual assault, the street artist pasted signs around the city that read “Smash the Patriarchy.”
Andrew Jackson, the seventh U.S. president and a former slave trader, was supposed to be replaced by Tubman in 2020, which aligns with the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment. On May 22, however, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin announced that the replacement would be delayed until 2028 to prevent counterfeiting and allow for a redesigned $10 and $50 bill to come out first. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump has a portrait of Jackson in the Oval Office and called replacing him with Tubman “pure political correctness.”
“I think that’s terrible,” Captain Eyeliner said regarding the Treasury Department’s delay. “That’s erasing a really important American who was nothing less than amazing.”
The street artist took control and created bills honoring Tubman, with messages of “war hero” and “spy master” placed next to her face. During the Civil War, Tubman served as a spy for the Union Army after leading slaves to freedom as a famous “conductor” on the Underground Railroad. Captain Eyeliner opted to display a younger version of Tubman to relay the message that she was in her late 20’s when she escaped slavery in 1849, contrary to the common depiction of Tubman as an old woman.
According to Ashley Ng at the Museum of Street Art in the Lower East Side, political pieces historically changed the perception of street art from “awful” vandalism to respectable art. Even today, artists can be jailed for graffiti work, but certain neighborhoods such as the Lower East Side, Bushwick and Williamsburg pay artists to create graffiti and street art for their buildings.
“I feel like it’s changed a lot,” Ng said regarding the reputation of street art. “We’ve actually been getting a lot of great feedback on the art here and the style, which is street art.”
The People’s Perceptions
Some passersby in Freeman Alley enjoyed the political focus, while others tried to focus on the aesthetics of the art itself.
“I see this young lady has a drive in her life,” Juan Barcia, 53, said when he encountered Captain Eyeliner’s AOC piece in Freeman Alley. “She just wants to set the record straight that the ball is in her court.”
Other viewers flock to the alley for purely aesthetic purposes distinct from any underlying political messages. Dance photographer Robert Balemzueoa said he chose Freeman Alley as a backdrop to highlight the grunginess of New York City. The visual was most paramount to him, as he positioned a dancer in black flowing clothes for a photoshoot. The aspiring professional dancer planned to include the images in a portfolio.
“Everybody has their own beliefs,” Balemzueoa said. “Some people might not agree with it and some people do.”
The Postman, an anonymous artist collective, received a pack of Captain Eyeliner’s art to paste while traveling. Through this collaboration, Captain Eyeliner’s rainbow cats appeared in Barcelona, Spain, with curly tails and hollowed white skulls.
“Street art is a refreshing change from all the advertising we are subjected to in our daily lives walking around urban areas,” The Postman said. “Political street art in particular makes people think.”
*To remain anonymous, Captain Eyeliner declined to disclose their age, gender or image. For those who want to see more of the artist’s work, visit the Instagram page of @Captain_Eyeliner.
