Bio

Peter "Paid" Levine, a Brooklyn, New York born-and-raised artist, with deep roots in hand-lettering, sign painting, 1980’s subway graffiti and DJing.


While attending New York City’s prestigious High School of Art & Design at the height of the subway graffiti era, Paid was immersed in 80’s underground culture, and the early stages of cultivating his craft began.
Equally as passionate about music and record collecting as he is about art, Paid dove head-first into the skill of DJing. Eventually perfecting this craft well enough to spin at some of New York City's hottest nightclubs. Limelight, Red Zone, a multi-year residency at the legendary after-hours; Japan, to name a few.
After several years, Paid took a brief hiatus from DJing to concentrate on a sign painting apprenticeship. Eventually taking the lead role on his career path.

With over forty years of experience in the art world. From writing graffiti, album cover design, logo creation, owning and operating a commercial sign shop in Brooklyn, New York, as well as working as a letterer for the NYC Department of Transportation. While at DOT, Paid designed and fabricated highway signs and street signs for the five boroughs, and for a decade, hand-painted world renowned iconic murals for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, and the New York Knicks "Go NY Go" playoff run.


In 2018 Peter Paid has transitioned his own unique style into a focused studio practice. Merging the past, present, and future, in vivid color and and familiar forms, Peter is
Intent on blurring the lines between commercial sign painting and fine art. 
With a can, a brush, and a 40-year-deep Hip Hop resume, he uses classic sign painting to tell the tales of street culture. 


2019 saw Paid hit the ground running. With an assiduous start to the year, including his first solo exhibit taking place at Bier Wax in Brooklyn, New York. Immediately following that up with an exhibit at the 2nd annual Moniker Art Fair. The summer of 2019, was no different than the first half, as Paid was a featured guest artist at the highly anticipated New York installment of Beyond the Streets, curated by Roger Gastman
Capping the summer off with another solo show, an anniversary group show in August and September at the East Village's 212 Arts, as well as multiple group shows, including Buried in Time at Artel Brooklyn, and Midnight Marauders at Artfront Galleries, Newark.

 

In 2020, Peter Paid was a selected artist commissioned to take part in the TATS Cru curated Black Lives Matter mural, painted in front of New York's Supreme Court building, at Foley Square. As well as a contributing artist for New York Magazine's "I Am A Voter" campaign. With his "I Voted" artwork featured on the magazine's cover for the October, 26th 2020 issue, and stickers created from his artwork distributed at polling sites throughout New York.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, planned exhibitions for the first-half of 2020 delayed a month-long solo exhibit at Wall Works NY, which was re-scheduled and took place in September. 

Throughout 2021 Peter Paid participated in multiple group shows. New York events with 212 Arts and Outlaw Arts, as well as Denver, Colorado gallery; Mirus Gallery.
Peter painted a “Stop Asian Hate” mural - curated by The L.I.S.A. Project - which was painted early in the summer after a rash of Asian hate crimes. His mural was reproduced in Los Angeles in a joint effort with Colossal Media.
A worldwide promotional collaboration campaign with Germany based spray paint company, Montana Cans, where Peter created promotional artwork for all Montana Cans retail outlets.
The year ended with Peter Paid being part of the Beyond the Streets/NTWRK app based two day virtual art fair. 


2022 Started off with Paid in collborations with Coors Light for their Plastic-Free Future Mart sustainable pop-up in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Designing exterior window signage and wild postings for the highly anticipated event.
Progressive Motorcycle Insurance. With Paid custom painting a motorcycle helmet for display at motorcycle events across the country.
As well as the first installment of two worldwide garment releases with HFD produced and distrubuted through
Dover Street Market/Comme des Garçon. With the second installment scheduled for a Fall/Winter 2022 release.


Kicking off 2023, Peter was selected to participate in the group art exhibition Landmark, at
One Art Space in TriBeCa, New York City.  The exhibit showcasing a handful of selected artists' interpretations of iconic landmarks in Hip Hop. 
During Springtime, Paid teamed up with Gorilla Nems on a three t-shirt collaboration campaign, based around Nems' viral sensation, Bing Bong
Early summer 2023, Peter participated in the highly anticipated Sarah Andelman (collette) curated, Joopiter auction for Pharrell's "Just Phriends" exhibition in Paris, France. 
Closing out 2023, Peter has a month-long solo exhibition celebrating Hip Hop 50 at The Bronx Brewery's Hudson Yards, NYC location. The momentous event is curated by Kate Storch, with music by legendary Hip Hop Producer/DJ/Rapper, Large Professor
Continuing with Paid's debut at the Museum of Graffiti in Miami, releasing a t-shirt and print signing event during Art Basel's Art Week along with a submission in the Carmen Acosta curated Hollywood 100 art show at  DesignerCon 2023.

To start off 2024, Peter re-joined the team from Landmark in another Kate Storch curated exhibition, at THCNYC along with fellow artists; Pharoahe Monch, Danny Cortes, Joe Conzo, Blustrer, El Da Sensei, and others. Along with an Artist Talk moderated by Hip Hop historian, TL Cross