The mayhem of our mighty metropolis is masterfully coordinated and unadulteratedly haphazard. It thrashes about nimbly on its tippy toes in Timberlands, deaf to any outside noise, leaning fully into the rhythm of its own innards. Mirroring that beastly magic is the work of Brittany DiMauro, also known by her streetwise nom de plume, Eternal Possessions. Finding a vision and a voice against the cacophony of sights and sounds, DiMauro’s work still manages to beckon the eye. She is the anti-artist, a dutiful disruptor. She has no desire to go with or against the grain. No. DiMauro wants to form a groove in which you can rest your soul.
I first spotted DiMauro’s work on the Bowery Wall. It was a late summer day two last years ago, and I was jaywalking through rush hour traffic–it stopped me mid-stride. Lovingly plied against the wall was an ornate portrait of none other than Queen Dana “Latifah” Owens herself. She bore the wings of a Monarch, her radiant smile as eye-catching as her ostentatious royal garbs. I was mesmerized and my trance was only broken by the blaring horn of an oncoming car. Nonetheless, it didn’t stop me from redirecting traffic and taking as many photos as my guardian angels would allow. In fact, one could say that the brilliance of DiMauro’s work nearly cost me my life.
” I am new to the art scene but I am not new to the city and I am not new to the hustle, so it’s super meaningful to be able to contribute to the feel of the place that has given me so much over the years and to do it strictly on my own terms.”
– Brittany DiMauro (Eternal Possessions)
Another memory that serves me well is encountering DiMauro herself as she installed a piece at the corner of St. Marks and 2nd Avenue, the gravesite of our beloved Gem Spa. She was alert but kind. The work and the sincere display of its process brought people in and that gave the installation a certain communal charm. But don’t let the charm fool you. Her pieces have a huge bark that is only rivaled by their bite. Each carefully crafted celeb-centric mural takes its pound of flesh by questioning the morals of consumption. There is a spark that sets a mood. Looking at her pieces ignites a fire that spreads from your rods and cones through every muscle fiber, every capillary and every hair follicle until you are fully engulfed.
Apart from her aesthetic, DiMauro as an individual and her intent as an artist is what truly makes her work remarkable. Aware of her prowess and putting her all into her creative gestures, DiMauro has a knack for crafting a sense of intimacy in a public space. It is a sacred science that is immeasurably valuable to the chemistry of our dear city.
We caught up with DiMauro in which we discussed her moniker, her origins, her contributions to the urban environment and her first official studio space!
Akeem K. Duncan: Let’s start with the title, Eternal Possessions. What does that title mean to you?
Brittany DiMauro: “Eternal Possessions is something that came to me as a download after I had made my first collage during the pandemic which I had titled “The Repossession of Michael”. The name itself has a double meaning: it is meant to convey that when you purchase my work you are buying something that is more than a physical object, it’s infused with wisdom, love and truth which I consider to be the only possessions we take with us to the other side. The other meaning has to do with the actual content and subjects I get into specifically regarding the system of celebrity.”
AKD: This is a cliche inquiry but a necessary one: How did you come to the arts?
BD: “I was just born with the affliction. My mother’s parents were these extremely special individuals who really took the time to pass on their legacy to my sister and I through taking us to places like the Mapparium, Symphony Hall and the Museum of Fine Arts Boston. I’m not even sure who I would be without having them in my world as a kid. But I was always very sure that I would create, it just took me most of my life to find that one medium that brought it all together, it just makes so much sense to me now that I would work with paper and glue.”
AKD: What are some themes found in your work? Where does it draw from?
BD: “I deal mainly with two channels; my celebrity/pop art stuff and then pieces that are more focused on social messaging. Recently I made a piece I’ve been calling “Survival Fox” and its this lil fox with his knife and his walkie talkie escaping the city and crossing the river to safety with text that says “help is not coming, save yourself”. This one is about all that has transpired since 2020, like, if you believe that anyone is coming to save you from either side then you have not been paying attention. The celebrity stuff all draws from an experience I had as a tennager that one day I’ll get around to talking about in more detail, but the themes I address with pop art are things that have only recently come into the mass consciousness. Britney Spears is the most well known at this point for what I’m getting at, but once an artist hits a certain return on investment they are no longer a person, now they are a product and that is a very dangerous place to be.”
AKD: How does it feel to contribute to the texture of New York City?
BD: “This is one of my favorite questions ever, it feels superhuman, especially when I pass by in the car, something about driving up on it just makes my soul sing this very loud song. I am new to the art scene but I am not new to the city and I am not new to the hustle, so it’s super meaningful to be able to contribute to the feel of the place that has given me so much over the years and to do it strictly on my own terms. And I won’t lie…sometimes NYC can be straight up abusive but it’s in the trenches where we learn what it means to be alive.”
AKD: You recently took the opportunity to apply a large mural at 82 Stanton. Can you tell us about that experience?
BD: “I have gotten pretty good at estimating space and I knew that a handmaid would fit perfectly so I jumped on it. People don’t even realize how many hours of recon, blood sweat and tears go into this but once in a while I get blessed with a proprietor who sees this little light of mine and lets me rock. But you know, street art is very competitive and you really gotta hold down your shit cause once a piece gets any attention everyone else comes running.”
AKD: Last year was your inaugural solo exhibition, Community Altar. It was a milestone for you. What were you feeling at the time? What are your feelings in retrospect? Did you execute your intent?
BD: “I think I executed my intent as best I could and most people had a positive reaction to the concept which is all that I can ask for, but I’m looking forward to the next show where I can really go full out and have every last detail pinned down. It’s so hard to verbalize but mostly I’m grateful to ChaShaMa and Anita Durst who gave me the opportunity to exhibit on this scale. The experience has shown me what I am really capable of; it’s easy to talk about ideas, it’s a lot harder to have the work ethic and stamina to actually pull it off. Sometimes I look at everything and it’s hard to believe I made it all, it’s a totally out of body thing.”
AKD: You also just moved into a new studio space. Your first official studio space! Another first. What does this mean to you?
BD: “I actually had this epiphany while I was moving boxes around the other day…when I was a kid my sister and I did not play house, we played small business. We made all these drawings and little trinkets and set them up in a corner of the house with the intention of hawking it all to my parents’ friends. We called the store “Best Offer” which was a play on those old printed want ads where people would be trying to sell their used stuff and it would often say “OBO” which meant “or best offer”. Having this new studio space really and truly feels like a childhood dream being fully realized and I feel extremely privileged and blessed to have made it through the tribulations and come out with something to show for it all.”
AKD: We know that your pieces often exist in the ephemeral realm but do have any that you wish could last forever?
BD: “They do last forever in the minds and hearts of those they touch.”
Akeem is our founder. A writer, poet, curator and profuse sweater, he is responsible for the curatorial direction and overall voice of Quiet Lunch. The Bronx native has read at venues such as the Nuyorican Poets Cafe, KGB Bar, Lovecraft and SHAG–with works published in Palabra Luminosas and LiVE MAG13. He has also curated solo and group exhibitions at numerous galleries in Chelsea, Harlem, Bushwick and Lower Manhattan.