Wojnarowicz first gained public attention in the early 1980s on the streets of downtown New York through his handmade posters and graffiti murals. One of four paintings in a series titled The Four Elements, Earth contains natural, mythic, and symbolic references to profit-driven land extraction, such as an excavator truck, coal, and a cowboy on a bull. This imagery is paired with personal and cultural emblems that recur throughout his work: a ribcage, a derailed train, and a Native American icon emerging from roots and rubble. 

This artwork is a mural titled Foundations (2025), created by the legendary graffiti artist Lady Pink. It was commissioned as the inaugural MoMA PS1 Plaza Mural, located at the museum’s entrance in Queens, New York. The mural serves as a tribute to New York City’s graffiti history, specifically honoring the legendary 5Pointz site that once stood across from the museum. It features Lady Pink’s signature surreal imagery, including a colossal foot-shaped structure made of stone masonry and the iconic 7 train subway car. The work is densely layered with the tags of various iconic New York City graffiti writers, embedding the city’s street art canon into its “foundations”. The commission is part of a new annual initiative where local cultural leaders jury a mural to be displayed on the museum’s welcome pavilion.