East meets West, and calligraphy meets graffiti at the Leila Heller Gallery in Calligraffiti: 1984-2013. And this past Thursday’s panel discussion, moderated by Leila Heller, provided an intimate glimpse into the disparate worlds that initially converged in a gallery setting in the exhibit that Ms. Heller and Jeffrey Deitch curated 30 years ago. After Leila Heller began the talk by sharing her personal and professional history, the five participants — Ayad Alkadhi, eL Seed, Fab Five Freddy, LA2 and Rostarr presented their distinct experiences and observations. Following are a selection of images from the exhibit and from Thursday’s panel discussion.
South Korean native Rostarr
Rostarr shares a bit of his history
Paris-based eL Seed
eL Seed to the left of Fab Five Freddy who spoke of his early determination to get graffiti the recognition it deserved
NYC-based LA2, whose tag has been part of the Lower East Side’s visual landscape for over 35 years
And an early collaboration with Keith Haring
The exhibit continues through October 5th at the Leila Heller Gallery, 568 West 25th Street.
Photos and reportage by Dani Reyes Mozeson
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