Unforgettable Art 

Graffiti’s Prodigal Return

I don’t mind graffiti, as long a it’s something I want to see….

When I first moved to New York, I thought the graffiti subway trains were awesome, cosmic even. Careening through the tunnels like fiery ghosts, every inch of them drenched in powerful color, sacrifice, and revolt. When they gradually disappeared it seemed as though an era, like a warming fire, had been stomped out.

While graffiti, in and of itself, is indeed a nuisance and an eyesore in this city, the painted trains somehow brought life and soul to the drab and stagnant underworld. I have often wondered what happened to those subway cars. And, while I know The City certainly doesn’t want to encourage graffiti, I have always felt that they (the old “blue-bird” cars) were museum quality, and should remain on display around the world for thousands of years to come….like Akhenaten’s tomb. (Whattabout the Transit Museum?) To The City, however, the fight had ended and they had won. They wanted no such reminder of the fire it took them so long to extinguish.

Mark Ecko’s grafitti block party (August 24, 2005), with live graffiti demonstrations and a host of DJs and surprise music performances, hearkened back to early hip-hop days. A graffiti enthusiast, and artist in his own right, Ecko battled Mayor Bloomberg and the City of New York in order to reinstate his permit to host the party. (The City had revoked the permit in July 2005, although the event had been planned and presented to government officials since November 2004.) Mayor Bloomberg feared that ‘the proposed graffiti painting on subway cars presented too great a risk of inciting criminal behavior, ‘ as the event, which honored 20 (now) world-renowned graffiti artists, featured art-in-progress on Ten 48-foot-long replicas of the city's old blue-bird subway cars. "Look, there is a fine line here between freedom of expression and going out and encouraging people to hurt this city," whined Mayor Michael Bloomberg. "Defacing subway cars is hardly a joke; encouraging people, kids in particular, to do that after all the money we've spent, all the time we've spent removing graffiti."

Ecko saw The City’s response as an infringement upon First Amendment rights, and determined to bring a ‘free day of art and music’ to the city of New York, he retained legal counsel and fought ‘til the eleventh hour. Ultimately, the judge scoffed in Bloomberg’s face and reinstated the permit, just one day before the event was to go on.

"Today is further affirmation that graffiti is without question the most powerful art movement in recent history, said the 32-year-old Ecko about his win. “This event was conceived as a tribute to the roots of graffiti culture, a time in New York City's history that I chose to believe was worth fighting to preserve." At the same time, the press the lawsuit received was also a nice promotional boost for the debut of Ecko's brand new video game, Marc Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure, (which is the reason for the party in the first place). On the market this fall, Ecko's game—get this—follows a beginner graffiti artist named Trane as he navigates the City of New Radius, "a world where graffiti has been banned and freedom of expression has been suppressed by a tyrannical city government" and an "oppressive Mayor." I guess it is clear that life does, in fact, imitate art. Review the game here: http://www.atari.com/gettingup/

I caught the tail end of the block party, not having stayed as long as I would have liked. My kids were non-plussed and bothered by the crowd and, furthermore, the police dozed through an hour early and shut it down – pushing throngs out into 10th Avenue traffic with their giant, barricade-wielding trucks. But the artists, in their glory, were still autographing T-shirts and sketchbooks of young hopefuls. At the time that we left, there was no sign of dispersion anytime soon. The mock train, which was yet unfinished, is to be donated in part to The Point, a Bronx-based nonprofit youth development organization, while the remaining (nine) will be placed throughout the city for public display. Bloomberg will love that, I’m sure.

Ecko at the courthouse photo: Bucky Turco from Animal Magazine

For an inside look at the Grafitti Revolution, I recommend checking out the documentary, Style Wars (1983). It is the one of the earliest and most influential accounts of the hip-hop culture, emphasizing the life, the blood and soul of the original kings of NY graffiti. The revised edition includes the original footage plus an in-depth update on the artists – Where Are They Now? Some of them, like Pink, Cope2, T-Kid, and others we saw at Ecko’s party, have managed to make a name for themselves, and others, as fate would have it, have embraced other paths in life. Visit http://www.stylewars.com to find out more or purchase the DVD set - a collector’s item indeed!

Check this link to see more street art from around the world. Not all of it impressive but, I appreciate the efforts nonetheless: http://www.woostercollective.com/

These images are VERY impressive though! This is sidewalk art, recently photographed on the streets of Lower Manhattan. The artist is unknown. Keep in mind that these drawings are done on the sidewalk, so the surface is FLAT!

volume VII: page 1 • page 2 • page 3 • page 4 • page 5 • page 6
page 7 • page 8 • page 9 • page 10 • page 11 • page 12 • page 13