graffiti

Speaking with Al Diaz on Graffiti, SAMO©, Word-play and His Upcoming Workshop for “Writing On It All” on Governors Island

June 12, 2013

Veteran NYC graffiti writer Al Diaz will be a featured artist this Sunday, June 16^th, in the exciting Writing On It All project at Governors Island. We recently met up with Al who spoke about his early years as a graff writer on the Lower East Side and his text-based graffiti, rooted in his early collaborations with the legendary Jean-Michel Basquiat.

When and where did you start getting up?

Back in 1972 on the LES. I was 13. I hit mostly trains and trucks back then.

What was your tag at the time?

Bomb-One.

Is that because you were bombing lots?

No. That term didn’t even exist at the time. My friends gave me that name because I used to panic and blow-up.

What inspired you to get up back then?

My cousin was close-friends with Snake 1. And we spent a lot of time with him and other writers up at the Writers Corner 188 in the Heights.

Do you have a formal art education?

As a kid, I took painting and drawing classes, and I went to the High School of Art and Design.

Have you ever been arrested for graffiti?

Once they picked me up and held me over night in Coney Island. But, no, I was never arrested for graffiti.

Have you any early graff-related memories that stand out?

I remember when a truck driver caught me writing on a truck and beat the hell out of me, mangling my wire-framed glasses. It was probably not even his truck.

How did your family feel about what you were doing?

They hated it. Back then we were considered juvenile delinquents.

How did you transition into the word-play that you do today?

In 1977, I became friends with Basquiat. We met at City-as-School. I introduced him to writing on walls. We came up with the term SAMO (Same Old Shit). That was the beginning. What Basquiat and I did was soon picked up by the SoHo Weekly News and the Village Voice.

Any thoughts about Jean Michel Basquiat’s commercial success?

That’s the art market. It is what it is.

How do you feel about the movement of street art and graffiti into galleries?

Why not? I’m too old to be idealistic.

Who were some of your influences?

Jackson Pollock. I love his manic energy. Picasso, Charles Bukowski and Tom Waits.

Tell us something about what you are doing now.

In 2008, I started pulling WET PAINT signs off the subways, cutting them up and making anagrams from its letters. At first I did it just to entertain myself. But the project continued to evolve and three years later, in 2011, I began posting these redesigned, recycled signs back on the walls in the train stations.

How has your work evolved in the past few years?

I’ve always loved words and language, and I’m continually becoming more adventurous in my wordplay. I now have a list of almost a thousand words made from WET PAINT!

What do you see as the role of the artist in society?

I see my art as social commentary. The masses are generally asleep. It is the responsibility of the artist to wake them up.

You can register here to participate in Al Diaz’s WET PAINT project this Sunday from 12-3pm in the interior of an early 20^th century house that had served as senior officer housing when Governors Island was a military base.

All photos courtesy of the artist

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Speaking with Kkade

June 10, 2013

Swiss artist Kkade shared his splendid skills with us last month at 5Pointz. While he was here, we had the opportunity to find out a bit about this talented member of the Schwarzmaler Collective.

When and where did you begin writing?

I started writing in my hometown of Murten, Switzerland in 1999. I was 16 years old.

How did you get into it?

I used to love looking at graffiti magazines and watching films on graffiti bombing.

How did your parents feel about what you were doing?

They didn’t like the police calling them. But they were always supportive.

Any early inspirations?

My crew members Kese 27 and Mower gave me my first, big start. And, since, I’ve done lots of writing and traveling with them.

Have you any favorite writers?

This is hard to answer, but crews like HA or JBCB are dope. And my favorite Swiss writers are Kesy, Irons and Toast.

Besides 5Pointz here in NYC, where else have you painted?

I’ve painted throughout Switzerland and in many European cities. Among them are: Milan, Berlin, Cologne, Amsterdam and Budapest.

Have you exhibited your work?

I have my first solo exhibit coming up on June 27 at the Trace Gallery in Zurich. And I’ve exhibited many times with the Schwarzmaler Collective.

Any thoughts about street art and graffiti divide?

Street art wouldn’t exist without graffiti. Graffiti started on trains and made its way onto the streets. Some people think they can do stickers and stencils and that they’re graffiti artists. But that’s not what graffiti is about. These days, street art has a bigger hype than graffiti. Back in Switzerland, the media recently promoted Wes 21 as a street artist – rather than as graffiti writer – when he was exhibiting his work in a gallery. It’s scene thing. But we don’t let the hype get to us. Graffiti saved my life. It kept me from doing drugs and behaving aggressively.

How do you see the Internet in all of this?

I think it’s really good in connecting people with the art. But it also exposes people to too much crap. And not everyone can tell the difference.

Do you have any formal art education?

I went to art school and got an apprenticeship in graphic design. I studied it for three years. It taught me to be more open-minded, and it did push me to do better and better.

What’s ahead?

Perfecting my letters and sharing my skills with others.

Interview by Lenny Collado. First photo by Lois Stavsky; all others courtesy of the artist

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Stay High 149 Memorial Show at White Rabbit

June 8, 2013

A visual ode to the late Wayne Roberts aka the legendary Stay High can be seen for the next four days at White Rabbit on East Houston Street. Presented by James Top Productions and Frank 151, The Stay High Memorial Show brings together an extraordinary array of artists from Stay High’s contemporaries to those for whom he paved the way.

Here are a few more images:

Duro

Slone

The Royal Kingbee, close-up

Flint 707

Portrait of Stay High by Danielle Mastrion; photos by Daniel Mozeson and Lois Stavsky

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Rooftop Legends Celebrates Its Sixth Anniversary with: Marka27, Don Rimx, Fever, Part One, Smoke, Toofly, Werds, Dmote, Wane, Aplus, Slave, Dr. Revolt, Ces, KR.One, Pesu, QA, Vers & more

June 4, 2013

The rooftop of the former Seward Park High School on Manhattan’s Lower East Side has evolved into one of NYC’s most enticing graffiti canvases. Following is a sampling of what we saw this past Sunday as Rooftop Legends, curated by New Design High School dean, Jesse Pais, celebrated its sixth anniversary.

Marka27 and Don Rimx

Fever

Graffiti pioneer Part One

Smoke

Toofly and Werds

Style masters Shank aka Dmote, Wane and Aplus

KR.One

Photos by Lenny Collado and Tara Murray

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Article Brings His Skills from Houston, Texas to 5Pointz, NYC

June 2, 2013

Of the many new pieces to surface at 5Pointz since it began its 11^th season last month, a particular stand-out is the huge mural by Phillip Perez aka Article. Curious about the artist behind this singular graffiti aesthetic, we posed some questions to him.

When did you start getting up?

I first started in Houston, Texas — back in 1992.

What inspired you at the time?

It started when my friend Big Mark aka KRAM, a B-Boy (Rock Skittles Krew) and a graffiti artist, showed me a video that featured break dancing and graffiti. Before then, I hadn’t seen anything like it. Two days after watching that video, I went bombing. I spray-painted in an alley behind my house.

Any memories that stand out from those early days?

A neighborhood hothead, SKEEZ 181, invited me to paint in a train yard for a graffiti battle. I don’t know how he got my number, but he did. He gave me a call one day and said he’d even pay for the paint and pick me up at my place. I was young and crazy, so I agreed. It was me and Ceroe against all of Hou-Tex freaks in a train yard in Denver Harbor. And as we were painting, a couple of train cops rolled up on Ceroe at the end of the car and start shooting at us. We all hopped about six sets of train tracks while dodging the bullets. Everyone got out of there alive. We even became good friends after. Never did like train yards, but I did it that once!

Have you any preferred surfaces?

No favorites. I’m a city bomber; any surface will do. The laws here don’t allow graffiti to live too long. A month maximum and bombs are buffed. So as a writer in Houston, you have to be very selective where you bomb. Location is key!

What’s the riskiest thing you’ve done?

I painted a wall along this railroad track with a couple of friends. Soon, the police rolled by and we were forced to hide in this ditch of muddy water amidst a horrible stench and a swarm of mosquitos. We couldn’t move or sneeze. The cops knew that there had been painting going on, as there was that strong smell of paint in the air. When the police left, we jumped out of there and ran. When we did, a police officer saw us, and hit full speed. To get away, we had to jump over barbed wire gates. We made it, but we separated as we dodged the cops. We met back up again about an hour later.

Have you ever been to jail?

Yes. When I was young, I went to jail for a lot of crazy things, but not for my graffiti art. I’d never go to jail for that. I’d feel too awful getting caught for my art.

Can you tell us something about some of the other writers down in Houston?

When I started out in the early 90’s, there were hardly any graffiti bombers. There were a few graffiti artists, though. Nekst and Vizie started here in the mid ’90’s and moved on to work with MSK — from what I understand. I respect those kids. They could have done anything in life, but they chose graffiti as a lifestyle. Episode, Color One, SKEEZ 181, The One Lee, Cease, Dual — are a few cats that live the lifestyle and keep things real in the H.

Who or what inspires you these days?

The lack of real graffiti nowadays is what inspires me to keep at it and teach it — when possible. This new generation needs to learn the foundation and history of this culture before they try to rub elbows with self-made artists. It’s a big let down when I meet a cat who can rock a 3-D but can’t paint regular letters or write with a nice hand style. But there are still sick artists coming out of the woodworks.

Are you down with any crews?

I’m in Hyroglifx Krew 182. We’re like a family here and help each other out. I don’t see it happening these days with many other crews. Internet crews have members who don’t even know each other. We were all born and raised in the North Central Houston.

Have you exhibited your work?

I have in the past few years, and I’m looking to exhibit more regularly.

Do you have a formal arts education?

No. My art have been my true education. It has taught me to write proposals and contracts, research history and conduct business. Art has taught me everything. When in school, I felt like the institution was misguiding me.

What’s the attitude of your family and friends towards what you do?

My mom bought me my first can. She has been supportive of the graffiti art, but not of the graffiti bombing. It’s a life style and culture. For me, graffiti is a rare art form. I often find myself explaining it to friends. I never get any real negative feedback from them, though.

What percentage of your time is devoted to writing?

It’s a balance. I have to maintain my commercial works and still fit in my street time. My heaviest bombing years were throughout the 90’s. I’ve had to slow down in the 2000’s because of paid gigs, which took up a lot of time and energy.

,Have you a steady day job?

Yup! I have an in-house art gig for a corporation. It helps me pay the bills and buy paint supplies. When I’m not working there, I do commission work for various people. Along the way, I’ve met a lot of actors, musicians and politicians who are interested in what I do. So luckily, I get to work for them and anyone else who needs art of any kind.

What about other interests?

Anything that is even vaguely art-related interests me. I’m also interested in history.

How has your work evolved throughout the years?

It’s evolved a ton. I taught myself foundation, structure, color schemes and balance. And through that learning process, my work naturally evolved into what it is today.

How did you connect with 5Pointz?

My boy Episode gave me Meres’s number and I texted him. A thousands miles later — with a hundred pounds of paint — I presented my layout to Meres, who approved the sketch and got me straight to work.

Can you tell us a bit about this image?

It’s a memorial wall — a tribute to the building representing the kings, the OGs of New York City graffiti. I don’t want to see the building torn down. With its gold background, the piece represents the significance of 5Pointz. The hieroglyphics are actually names of important writers such as Stay High 149, Dondi and IZ the Wiz, to name a few. And overall, the work represents the style of my crew. It’s an offering to the 5Pointz community and its importance in the movement. Even in Houston, we know its value.

Interview by Lenny Collado; photos by Lenny Collado, Tara Murray and Lois Stavsky

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Girls on Walls, Part IX: Alice Mizrachi, Cake, Hef, Toofly, Os Gemeos, Noh J Coley and Swoon

May 28, 2013

This is the ninth in a series of posts featuring images of girls — and women — who grace New York City’s public spaces:

Alice Mizrachi aka AM in Bushwick, Brooklyn

Cake in Bushwick, Brooklyn

Hef’s hastily-buffed piece in East New York

Toofly at the Bushwick Collective

Os Gemeos in Coney Island — since 2005

Noh J Coley at the Woodward Gallery Project Space on the Lower East Side

Swoon in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn garden

Photos by Tara Murray and Lois Stavsky

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Yoav Litvin on his Street Art Passions and Pursuits

May 27, 2013

While not conducting his post-doctoral research on Brain and Behavior at The Rockefeller University, Jerusalem native Yoav Litvin can be found on our city streets pursuing his passion for street art. We recently met up for a chat.

What spurred your interest in public art?

As a result of an injury, there wasn’t much I could do other than walk around. So that’s what I did. And once I began to notice street art, I couldn’t stop taking photos of it. I also appreciate the risks artists take when putting up pieces; it’s a rush I can relate to. And I admire the artists’ generosity in taking these risks to share their vision with the public.

What is it about street art that continues to so engage you?

I love its beauty and humor. I appreciate its aesthetic and the way it challenges convention. It is a beautiful, non-violent way to raise issues in the public sphere. And as a political person, I am drawn to the confrontational nature of much of it.

What do you see as the role of the photographer in today’s street art movement?

Because of the transient nature of public art, I see it as essential. The image is important, but so is its context and appropriate accreditation to the artist. And documentation of NYC’s street art trends is especially essential as this city is the world’s cultural Mecca.

Tell us a bit about your current project.

I’ve been working for over a year now on a book that profiles 46 of the most prolific urban artists working in NYC. It will feature images and interviews, along with some exciting supplements.

Have you any favorite artists whose works you’ve seen here in NYC?

There are too many to list. I love them all for different reasons.

How do you keep up with the current scene?

In addition to documenting what I see and speaking to artists, I follow popular street art blogs such as StreetArtNYC, Brooklyn Street Art and Vandalog. I also check Instagram daily for new images that surface not only on NYC streets, but across the globe. And I try to attend gallery openings as often as possible.

We certainly look forward to reading your book. Tell us more about its current progress. How close it is to publication?

I’ve finally completed the stage of collecting texts and images, and am currently working together with a first-rate designer. I am now seeking a publisher.

Yoav can be contacted at yoavlitvin@gmail.com

Featured photos are in the following sequence:

1) Dain. Wythe Avenue, Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

2) Alice Mizrachi and Cope2. Boone Avenue, The Bronx.

3) Never Satisfied. Bedford Avenue, Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

4) gilf! Grattan Street, Bushwick, Brooklyn.

5) Jilly Ballistic. Astor Place 6 Train station, Manhattan.

6) Enzo and Nio. Wythe Avenue, Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

7) ND’A and Elle Deadsex. Jefferson Street, Bushwick, Brooklyn.

All photos by Yoav Litvin.

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Speaking with Semor

May 20, 2013

Germany’s masterful graffiti artist Semor returned to 5Pointz earlier this month, where he once again graced its walls with his outstanding skills. This time we has the opportunity to speak to him.

When did you first get up? And where was it?

I was 11 years old when I first hit a wall. It was in an abandoned area in the middle of nowhere. I grew up in a village near Cologne, Germany where there was no graffiti — or just about anything — on the walls.

Then — how did you get into graffiti?

As a young child, I destroyed my room with chalk. This started when I was about six. I always focused on letters. One day my sister said to me, “What you are doing is graffiti.” And she bought me a copy of Style Wars. That was it!

And you have been doing it ever since! What is it about graffiti that appeals to you?

I can put my all into it. I can express everything that is going on inside me and around me. I never sketch beforehand. Everything I do is freestyle. It’s what I feel at the moment. It doesn’t matter if it is a good day or bad day. I have graffiti.

How do your folks feel about what you do?

My mom loves it! And my dad admires what I’m doing, too. He is an architect.

Tell us something about your name. How did you get the name Semor?

I was always a big Simpsons’ fan and I particularly liked the character Seymour Skinner, the head of Bart Simpson’s elementary School. I just changed the spelling!

Have you any favorite surfaces?

I’ll paint on anything that is paintable, but I love big walls.

Have you ever been arrested?

Sure, but Germany actually provides us with graffiti lawyers. And you need to be caught in action in order for the police to arrest you.

Have you exhibited in galleries? And how do you feel about the move of graffiti into galleries?

Yes! It’s been a good experience. It’s good money. And it’s time for graffiti to be given the respect it deserves.

How do you feel about the divide between street art and graffiti?

Graffiti is graffiti and street art is street art. Street artists are more concerned with getting a message out to the public. And it often has political and social overtones. Graffiti is about style.

Any thoughts about today’s young writers?

They need to learn the importance of respect. They think getting up is cool, but too many young writers out there don’t have any knowledge of graffiti’s roots.

Any differences between the graffiti here in NYC and back home in Cologne?

There’s definitely a greater variety of styles back home. Writers there are more eager to experiment.

Have you any favorite writers?

The Schwarzmaler Crew, Sen2, Storm, Aroe MSK – among others.

How did you make contact with 5Pointz?

In 2005, I reached out to Meres via e-mail, and we’ve stayed in touch since.

Photos of Semor with Jimmy C and Semor & KKade by Lois Stavsky; Semor at work by Lenny Collado and Tara Murray

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Gorey and Paris’s PAL Crew on Lower East Side Streets and at Klughaus with Sunday Closing Party

May 17, 2013

The French NYC-based artist GOREY and Paris’s prolific PAL Crew, consisting of HORFE, CONY, TOMEK, SAEYO, MOSA, ESSO and SKUB, have brought their expressive aesthetic to the streets of the Lower East Side and to Klughaus’s pop-up location at 154 Stanton Street. A closing reception for the exhibit PALINGENESIS — that showcases the artists’ rebirth as evolving fine artists — will be held this Sunday, May 19 from 2-6pm.

On the streets — at Suffolk and Stanton

Close-up from huge mural on Attorney and Delancey

Gorey in the gallery

Photos from the streets by Lois Stavsky; image of Gorey in the gallery courtesy of Klughaus

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From Five Continents to 5Pointz: Onur, Wes21, Kkade, Semor, Vova Zomb, Toofly, eL Seed, Jaye, Meres, Funk, Zert, Stain, MiesOne & Article

May 16, 2013

Since 5Pointz began its 11th season earlier this month, its walls have served as a canvas for artists visiting NYC from across the globe. Here’s a sampling of what has surfaced in the past two weeks:

Onur, Wes21, Kkade from Switzerland and Semor from Germany