MQ

The Art of the Tag, Part III: Mastro, Dek, Whie, Joel R2K, Zoot, LS, Spray, Exoe, Angr, Smez, Homesick, Zabel, Wild Boy West, Jakee, Snach, Net, Lase, MQ, Star and More

July 16, 2026

From the crudely simple to the crisply stylized, graffiti tags increasingly reclaim NYC’s public spaces. Featured above are the signatures of Mastro, Dek, Whie , Pardon CCLB, ACS KWC, Joel R2K, KSTER, IR, XCLAIM, TERE, Thane, SCES aka Belowkey & more. Several more images of tags we’ve recently captured on a variety of surfaces throughout NYC follow:

The ubiquitous Zoot

LS OSW

Spray, Exoe, Angr, Remand, Crek, Guard, Judge, Kaste, Seven, Smez & more

The prolific Homesick and ZABEL

Sager

Wild Boy West, Snach, Homesick, Dek, Whie, Yes2, Jakee, Net, Joel R2K, Thane, Shock, Steel, Touer & more

LASE GOMD

MQ Charm OTR, Cult, SAE & Awie

STAR CTO GOMD

NEKO KAS crew

Photo credits: 1-5, 7, 10 & 11 Lois Stavsky; 6, 8 & 9 Giulia Shine

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PUSHING IT FORWARD: ILLicit Creatives Claiming Space on the Streets of Queens, NYC, Part IV

January 4, 2024

Back with our documentation of ILLicit Creatives claiming space on the streets of NYC, this post focuses on the fourth in our series of Queens markings. Pictured above is Ecal — followed by several more images of unsanctioned graffiti captured in Queens public spaces.

The ubiquitous Quasar aka Qzar

Lucy and the prolific MQ

Zoot, KYS

Zerz, OTL and Panic, SB

York and Eve, GI

Angr, LNE

Note: Pushing It Forward, a limited edition zine featuring artworks fashioned by “illicit creatives,” — edited by Lois Stavsky and designed by Lord K2 — is now available at So Books in Tokyo, Japan.

Photos: Lois Stavsky

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PUSHING IT FORWARD: ILLicit Creatives Claiming Space on the Streets of Manhattan, Part II

February 26, 2023

In this ninth post in our new series, PUSHING IT FORWARD — featuring ILLicit creatives claiming space on NYC streets — we return to Manhattan. Pictured above are Wombat, ZigZag and Toney. Several more Manhattan images by ILLicit creatives follow:

Layne

UWONT