International Playboy, Mr. Andre, Kills It, Kind Of
Artist Andre Saraiva’s press section on his website omits recent coverage of his tagging a boulder in Joshua Tree National Park—and getting caught both doing it and lying about doing it. Instead, Mr. Andre, as Saraiva is known, papers the page with high profile media coverage about him, like GQ’s “The New International Playboy,” where the club-hopping artist comes in at number 10 on the “Guys Who Are Killing It,” list.
Gone is all mention of Saraiva’s vandalism of the site in the national park back in February of this year, and we’re sure he wishes it was forgotten as well.
Modern Hiker, an excellent blog on hiking and trails, first broke the story on Saraiva’s vandalism on February 27. Casey Schreiner, editor and founder of Modern Hiker, wrote that he was alerted by a reader to a post on Saraiva’s Instagram feed from February 25. In the post, there was a photo of the boulder with Saraiva’s characteristic tag and the landscape in the background. On Instagram, Saraiva is reported as having posted that the tagging was done in a “friends privet [sic] back yard and not in your national park!”
Saraiva, sounding more like a bully than artist, began posting messages to Modern Hiker that appeared threatening, which might have been appropriate—if the artist hadn’t been lying the entire time, that is.
Soon, a blogger from Calipidder recognized the location in Saraiva’s photo from the terrain shown in the background and matched it up perfectly to the parking lot for the trailhead to the Contact Mine—inside Joshua Tree National Park.
Then a Twitter user reportedly put the app, Ready or Not, to use in tracking the social media posting of Saraiva geographically. One post would appear to have put Saraiva directly at the Contact Mine trailhead.
Now some folks just can’t admit when they’ve lied themselves into a predicament, and so it seems to have been with Saraiva. Soon, Modern Hiker received a letter from Saraiva’s attorneys in Paris, which at once threatened legal action against the blog, while essentially admitting the artist did illegally vandalize the boulder in question in Joshua Tree National Park and lied about it.
“Andre SARAIVA has realized at the Joshua Tree National Park an ephemeral creation consisting in putting on a rock his artistic signature with the use of the water-based paint,” the letter states. “Few days later he has himself erased the inscription and made all mark of this short-lived performance disappear.”
In typical hired gun fashion, damn the facts—the attorney for our poor misunderstood playboy artist painted the vandal as victim and claimed Modern Hiker was just using the artist’s fame to “draw the public’s attention on your own business.”
But all the reporting, public involvement, and attempted bullying of Modern Hiker that went absolutely nowhere had helped ensure Saraiva’s vandalism caught the attention of Joshua Tree National Park Chief Ranger Jeff Ohlfs, and with vandalism of sites in the park a growing problem, Saraiva, artist, vandal, and arrogant liar, found himself paying a fine to the U.S. District Court for his artwork on “privet” property.
Of course, the fine set forth by the court, a measly $275, is almost criminal itself. If you want to discourage vandals, you can’t fine them less than their typical bar tab.
If Saraiva was looking to make an impression on the gateway communities for Joshua Tree National Park, he certainly did. Prior to his decision to vandalize the boulder in the national park, Saraiva had painted one of his works at the 29 Palms Inn—with permission. A visit to the Inn’s grounds after the vandalism incident could no longer locate the work. The Inn noted they do not comment on guests.
Meanwhile, vapid acts of vandalism continue to be a problem across our public lands, seemingly encouraged through the narcissistic opiate of social media. Why it appeals to morons like Casey Nocket “Creepytings” who set out to apparently spew her infantile “art” across more than half a dozen national parks, including Death Valley, Joshua Tree, Zion, and Canyonlands, is a mystery, other than it allows incredibly self absorbed mediocre wannabe artists and others to call attention to themselves on a scale that can make them celebrities in their own minds.
Signs are increasing, however, that those who love and respect our parks, and those in charge of managing them, aren’t interested in tolerating much more vandalism of our public lands. Three local juveniles have been charged and convicted of vandalism at Barker Dam in Joshua Tree National Park, and an ongoing investigation is targeting other suspects. Another individual has been convicted recently of painting vandalism at Indian Cove in the park.
Here at The Sun Runner, social media has been working against the self absorbed vandals. Our social media postings about public lands vandalism and why we need to respect and care for our public lands, have proven to be our most popular postings, and we strongly encourage, as does Ohlfs, reporting any incidences of vandalism and vandals to the appropriate authorities.
With Joshua Tree National Park nearly in our backyard, we encourage readers to call park dispatch at (909)383-5651 to report any acts of vandalism. For frequent visitors to the park (or other parks), put the appropriate contact number in your cell phone so reporting—and hopefully preventing—senseless acts of destruction, is just one button away.
For more:
http://www.modernhiker.com/2015/02/27/is-mr-andre-tagging-in-joshua-tree/
http://www.modernhiker.com/2015/03/10/mr-andre-issues-legal-threat-to-modern-hiker/
http://www.modernhiker.com/2014/10/21/instagram-artist-defaces-national-parks/
http://www.modernhiker.com/2014/10/23/why-the-creepytings-national-parks-vandalism-is-a-big-deal/
http://www.modernhiker.com/2015/04/15/resolution-in-the-mr-andre-saga/