of the defendants (Gheorghiu being one of those 8 defendants) as long as they refrain from any "graffiti vandalism" and complete certain requirements. Furthermore, the cases would be totally dismissed when the defendants pay outstanding fines, perform 100 hours of graffiti removal and five years pass without a graffiti conviction. Since Gheorghiu had paid all outstanding fines and 5 years since 2007 had passed without a graffiti conviction and he had finished the 100 hours of community service, the case against Cristian Gheorghiu was dismissed June 20, 2012. Contemporary artist In 2006 Cristian Gheorghiu/Smear began exhibiting his mixed media art works, which have been described by the L.A. Times as "unique renderings of human forms with vivid colors and rough, emotional strokes". The Times article details that Smear's art developed a following, especially among a subculture of street art aficionados. By 2009 he had several solo gallery shows and numerous group exhibitions, and was also featured in a solo exhibit, Immigration to Integration at the Ventura County Museum of Art and History. In April 2011, the Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles (MOCA) debuted the groundbreaking Art in the Streets exhibit at the Geffen Contemporary Art Museum in the Little Tokyo area of Los Angeles. After the opening, following complaints from local authorities of an increase in graffiti around the area of the Geffen Contemporary in Little Tokyo, the L.A. Times interviewed Smear once again: when asked about the exhibit, Gheorghiu said, "The 'Art in the Streets' exhibit or an exhibit like it had to come about around this time period, it would be a cultural crime if it hadn't". In media coverage about the 'Art in the Streets' exhibit, which is scheduled to show in Brooklyn, New York after its Los Angeles run, Smear has often been named and mentioned, so far as to be mentioned mistakenly as one of the featured artists in the exhibit by an Associated Press article from May 1, 2011. Cristian Gheorghiu was the first artist to ever be showcased at the German government's Goethe Institute in Los Angeles, an exhibit that was on display from February 25, 2012, to March 10, 2012. In autumn of 2012, Gheorghiu had an exhibit at the Azusa Pacific University. See also Metro Transit Assassins References External links Artist's website KCET Public Television interview American people of Romanian descent American graffiti artists American contemporary painters Artists from Los