Exhibitions: Graffiti

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  February 2006: The Brooklyn Museum presents Graffiti from June 30 to September 3, 2006, an exhibition of twenty large-scale works from such influential artists as Michael Tracy (“Tracy 168”), Melvin Samuels, Jr. (“NOC 167”), Sandra Fabara (“Lady Pink”), Chris Ellis (“Daze”), and John Matos (“Crash”). Graffiti explores how a genre that began as a form of subversive public communication has become legitimate—moving away from the street and into private collections and galleries.
  
  Forms of graffiti have been discovered on ancient Roman, Pompeian, and Mayan architecture and like today were both illegal and a form of communication. Modern graffiti, which is associated with hip-hop culture and spans all racial and economic groups, began in the mid- to late 1960s as a form of activist expression and as a way for street gangs to mark their territory. By the early 1970s, it had made its way to New York City and quickly became a phenomenon. Urban youth used the sides of subway trains and buildings as their canvases, reclaiming segments of their neighborhoods by “tagging” them with stylized renditions of their names or the names of the groups they formed. At first graffiti was created with pens and markers, but spray paint, which is easy to use and works well on almost any surface, quickly became the medium of choice.
  
  Soon a full-fledged graffiti style called “pieces” (from “masterpieces”) evolved from simple designs into intricate interlocking letters with multiple colors. The self-taught graffiti artists turned the walls of public (and sometimes private) buildings into giant panoramas and subway cars into moving murals. Graffiti became a way of making a cultural mark and receiving recognition from peers. It was an act of defiance, a way to make one’s voice heard despite limited opportunities.
  
  Later, graffiti artists began to paint on canvas or large sheets of paper, attracting the attention of art dealers and collectors. One of the first dealers to collect graffiti was Sidney Janis. His heirs Carroll and Conrad Janis donated almost fifty works from his estate to the Brooklyn Museum in l999. Graffiti will be drawn primarily from this gift and supplemented by material from the Museum’s Libraries and Archives.

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Press Coverage of this Exhibition

• CLOSE READING; From Subway Cars to Canvas, Spray Can Still in HandJune 25, 2006 By TED LOOSArticle profiles career of graffiti artist John Matos, whose spray painted and silk-screened canvas will be shown in exhibition Graffiti at Brooklyn Museum; Matos's two-panel painting A-U-T-O-matic analyzed in detail; photos (M)
• ART; Grafitti by the (Extensively Analyzed) NumbersJune 25, 2006 By GEETA DAYALArticle describes new Graffiti Research Lab in New York masterminded by two tech-minded artists, Evan Roth and James Powderly; says they have developed new methods of self-expression: panoply of digital projection techniques, LED-driven light art and specially-written computer programs, all provided free on their Web site; photo (M)
• Spare TimesJune 30, 2006 "On the Street New York City FRIENDS OF LAGUARDIA PLACE STREET FAIR, Bleecker Street, between LaGuardia Place and Lafayette Street, West Village. Tomorrow, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. BLEECKER AREA MERCHANTS AND RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION FESTIVAL, Bleecker Street, from Avenue of the Americas to Broadway, West Village. Sunday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. McBURNEY Y.M.C.A...."
• ART REVIEW; Aerosol Outlaws, Suddenly on the Inside TrackJune 30, 2006 By KEN JOHNSONKen Johnson reviews exhibtion of graffiti art at Brooklyn Museum; photos (M)
• The Listings: July 7 - July 13July 7, 2006 "Selective listings by critics of The New York Times of new and noteworthy cultural events in the New York metropolitan region this week. * denotes a highly recommended film, concert, show or exhibition. Theater Approximate running times are in parentheses. Theaters are in Manhattan unless otherwise noted. Full reviews of current shows, additional..."
• THE LISTINGS | JULY 14-JULY 20July 14, 2006 "Selective listings by critics of The New York Times of new and noteworthy cultural events in the New York metropolitan region this week. * denotes a highly recommended film concert, show or exhibition. Theater Approximate running times are in parentheses. Theaters are in Manhattan unless otherwise noted. Full reviews of current shows, additional..."
• THE LISTINGS -- JULY 21-JULY 27July 21, 2006 "Selective listings by critics of The New York Times of new and noteworthy cultural events in the Northeast this week. * denotes a highly recommended film, concert, show or exhibition. Theater Approximate running times are in parentheses. Theaters are in Manhattan unless otherwise noted. Full reviews of current shows, additional listings, show times..."
• The Listings: July 28 - August 3July 28, 2006 "Selective listings by critics of The New York Times of new and noteworthy cultural events in the Northeast this week. * denotes a highly recommended film, concert, show or exhibition. Theater Approximate running times are in parentheses. Theaters are in Manhattan unless otherwise noted. Full reviews of current shows, additional listings, show times..."