Art Posse Attacked By Stink Bomb, Could Be Splasher?

And somewhere, a plot thickens:

James Cooper, a 24-year-old Bushwick resident, was hit with a charge of attempted arson yesterday after police say he tried to ignite a stink bomb at a crowded gallery opening in Brooklyn. Police are searching for his accomplice.

“All I was trying to do was a provide a great space with free alcohol and a lot to look at,” said artist Frank Shepard Fairey, whose opening show with about 1,000 guests was forced to close Thursday night. “It’s offensive to me that anyone would come sabotage my art show.”

It was the second stink-bomb attack at an art gallery in as many weeks.

The local art community was immediately abuzz with speculation that Cooper was the infamous Splasher — who has defaced dozens of street-art creations throughout the city with splotches of house paint.

. . .

Witnesses say that at about 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Cooper and an unidentified man attempted to ignite an incendiary device in a coffee can during the crowded open-bar reception. A partygoer noticed the smoke and alerted security.

Cooper was quickly caught, but his accomplice got away.

Fairey, who gained notice in the early 1990s by putting up stencils of wrestler Andre the Giant and “Obey Giant” stickers around cities throughout the East Coast, said Cooper shouldn’t get off easy.

“This is serious. I’ve been arrested for doing street art. I knew I would be held accountable for my actions, and he should have considered that jail may be a possibility,” said Fairey, who confronted Cooper after security nabbed him.

“He tried to turn it around and say that he is the victim and that I should feel bad for him.”

. . .

The Splasher has struck 20 out of the 22 murals Fairey created in New York City.

Fairey has his own theory on why his work is targeted.

“Because I’ve moved beyond just doing street art, some have the idea that I’ve been corrupted. I’ve been able to have an art career and a design career, yet I continue to do street art and therefore I should be punished,” he said.