BROOKLYN, N.Y. – Anthony Sneed’s colored blocks make an impact in the streets of Williamsburg. The added color emphasizes the unique architecture of some of the buildings lining Brooklyn.

Sneed’s mastery of shading creates optical illusions and is reminiscent of a Lego structure come to life, or of an extreme close-up of a digital screen with bars of pixelation. To get the precise edging between colors, Sneed uses painter’s tape and painstakingly measures and levels out each segment. The rigid angles contrasts with the imperfect geometry of the older buildings as their foundation begins to sag with age and the quality of their bricks erodes.

Sneed is a multiplatform artist who has had shows across the country and has worked as an illustrator as well. While his canvas works reflect much of the same style, which Sneed has attributed to old-school video graphic aesthetics as well as Legos, seeing his pieces on the street gives them dramatic heft. He utilizes the nostalgia such items bring and layers them with social commentary.

For more of his work, check out Sneed’s mural on the side of Rag and Bone in Soho.

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