“Love’s In Need of Love Today”, New Ad Takeover by Olivia McKnight

New love-themed work today by Philly-based street artist Olivia McKnight, just in time for Valentine’s Day!

Olivia’s piece, installed at 16th and Fitzwater Streets in South Philly, has been installed as an ad takeover. That’s when an artist replaces an outdoor ad (in this case a bus shelter ad) with their art. And as someone who has very publicly come out against outdoor advertising, I love it!

For context, many Philly artists have participated in ad takeovers over the years, including: NDA in 2015, Kid Hazo in 2016 and 2017, and Joe Boruchow in 2016, 2017, and 2019. In 2017, a number of Philly artists even traveled to New York City to be part of Art in Ad Places, replacing outdoor ads with art in that city. I also partnered with Peopledelphia‘s Brendan Lowry twice for projects replacing “out of home” ads (as they’re also called) in Philly with art: Trashcan Takeover in 2018, and Track Takeover in 2019. Needless to say, artists by and large hate outdoor advertising because we know the power of art in public space.

The ad takeover by Olivia today reads, “Love’s in need of love today!” And if that sentence rings a bell, it’s because it’s the title of a Stevie Wonder song. As I wrote last month, Olivia is on a mission to bring Stevie’s love to the streets of Philadelphia, and today’s installation in part of that new series!

When posting about the installation to her Instagram this morning, Olivia added, “When you see it…grab it, protect it, nurture it and hold on to it!” Amen, Olivia! <3