Who is behind the eyes of Bed-Stuy?

Alan Aíne is a mysterious figure in Bed-Stuy.

The Aíne tag has appeared on walls and canvases throughout the Brooklyn neighborhood for more than 10 years. His work is figurative, often featuring women's faces. Their eyes and tightly curled locks can be seen dotted down Halsey Street.

While Aíne’s work may not be found in the city’s grandest galleries just yet, Bed-Stuy residents have become familiar with his faces. These painted portraits of people (and sometimes dogs) have become quirky and cherished additions to the neighborhood's landscape. Ask anyone in Bed-Stuy about Aíne, and the first thing they mention is the eyes.

“The faces all have these strong dark eyes, and that's intriguing for me because it seems like a reverse gaze to see these women watch you,” said Margo Williams. “It’s like they’re the eyes of the neighborhood.”

Williams moved to Queens after living in Bed-Stuy for eight years but still frequents the Brooklyn neighborhood. “I wasn't sure how I felt about seeing his work on this newer construction,” she said, nodding towards a recently built apartment building across the street. “I guess I view it as a commentary on the gentrification of the neighborhood. I'm interested to see where his next canvas will be. This is the first time I've seen his work on a newer building and I'm curious if it's part of his vision.”

The new building, located at 435 Tompkins Ave. and known as the Diana, was built last year. Its developer, Ben Pinover, commissioned Aíne to paint the building's garage doors after seeing his street art on metal pieces on and around the previous building before the construction began. Mat Gundell, the building’s real estate agent, said that Pinover “actually still has three pieces of the original art in his office.”

“He commissioned Aíne to draw on the building, because it connected this new piece of architecture to the neighborhood and the community,” said Gundell. “People that have come to me looking to buy apartments have mentioned it, particularly local people who are looking to purchase an apartment.”

As for what the artist himself thinks, Aíne responded to an interview request with only a single comment: “The art speaks for itself.”

I followed up with Williams after learning that the pieces on the Diana had been commissioned. “It’s kind of illustrative of the mixed bag that comes with gentrification,” he said. “The fact that the artist is getting paid, commissioned and getting work is amazing. But just like with the larger issue of gentrification, some aspects are positive — whether it’s economic investment in the neighborhood or notoriety being brought to local artists — but underneath that, it still represents families who have lived in that neighborhood for decades and are being pushed out because of this new and expensive building.”

Anthony Lindsay co-owns an older apartment building on the corner of Macon Street and Malcolm X Boulevard. The dark eyes of Aíne’s faces line the exterior, staring out at passersby.

Lindsay said he saw Aíne painting the sides of his building last year. “He was out here at night you know,” said Lindsay. “And he was painting and said he had permission. I said, 'I own this building, I didn’t give you permission,' so then he said, ‘Well, can I have permission?’”

Lindsay laughed, recalling, “I just told him he already started and I’m not gonna stop you doing what you’re going to do.”

When asked why he hadn’t washed Aíne’s work off the building, Lindsay responded that “it would take a lot of chemicals, power washing, work and money."

"I like the faces, though,” he added. “Makes me think of Hollywood, you know, like Lucille Ball or Michael Jackson in those big frames.”

Aíne’s also appears on sidewalks, and remnants of these painted eyes are seen throughout the neighborhood. The sidewalk in front of LunÀtico, a bar and music venue on Halsey Street, was once home to more of Aíne’s painted faces.

“There have been several he’s done in front of LunÀtico out of his own inspiration,” said Richard Julian, a singer, composer and one of the bar's three co-creators. “We’re always thrilled when he chooses our sidewalk as his canvas. As far as we're concerned, he has carte blanche to do whatever he wants out there.”

Inspiration for the faces seems to come in part from real people in the neighborhood. Gizmo, a neighborhood fixture known for her creative fashion who has been selling vintage clothing in Bed-Stuy for nearly nine years, is one of them.

“I think his work is phenomenal,” she said of Aíne. “He's done so much work around Bed-Stuy. He actually did two murals of me, but one got painted over.”

Gizmo, who goes by @gizmo_vintage_honey on Instagram, where she has nearly 40,000 followers, left her former shared storefront and now sells sidewalk-style throughout the neighborhood. For a while, she was set up on the corner of MacDonough Street and Marcus Garvey Boulevard, where Aíne had painted a large mural of her face on a bodega exterior. The mural served as a backdrop for Gizmo’s many Instagram and TikTok videos in which she could be seen dancing and modeling outfits.

Eventually, the bodega owner painted over the mural, and Gizmo moved to the corner of Halsey Street and Lewis Avenue. After the move, Aíne painted a new portrait of her, which can be seen as part of the commissioned work on the Diana.

“I love his work though,” Gizmo said, turning her attention to a new customer browsing her racks. “All those beautiful faces and big eyes.”

A 2013 article in Berliner Woche, a weekly Berlin magazine, contains a rare interview with Aíne. According to the article, Aíne showed 15 portraits in an exhibition in Berlin and painted an additional portrait in front of an audience in the gallery. Writer Ralf Drescher noted how quickly Aíne worked, completing the painting in 60 minutes.

"In New York I paint even faster,” Aíne said in the interview. “I have to finish before the police come."

Aíne’s most recent work can be found near the Brooklyn Academy of Music across from Betty Carter Park. “Each portrait tells a story,” said Richard Parker, who was on lunch break nearby, with his friend Brando Kaye. “I see confusion and wonder, dilemma and happiness.”

Kaye added, “He definitely has a strong style and brings out a unique view.”