Although street art is inviting itself in auction rooms and household lounges these days, it is still regarded by a large majority of us as vandalism. It is hard to understand anything when you do not try to understand where it comes from but only look at the surface and leave your ignorance driven your judgement which is bound to be false.
New York Kings at Pure Evil and curator Christophe Demoulin would definitely like to put this point across to any visitor and underline the importance of the US graffiti movement that started along with the hip hop one in the 70’s and 80’s. The purpose of this writing is not to tell about the social or politic importance aspect of the movement but about looking at the creativity that came out of it which is on display in this show.
All the graffiti and street art pieces have been drawn on actual New York subway maps which is the new medium the “old kings” have found to pursue the tradition of “subway art”. This was a necessity more than anything since the authorities have actually banned any artistic intervention in the subway. The most prolific and subversive won the right among peers to use a crown symbol next to their work, meaning graffiti king.
The show spreads onto the two floors at Pure Evil and has got pieces from all the big names that made the graffiti genres used widely by other artists all over the world from BLADE for the 3D lettering to COPE2 for the bubble lettering. Other names includes FUZZ ONE, BOM5, SEN2, INDIE 184, STAY HIGH 149, POEM, RD 357, DECK, EASY & JOZ.
The show runs until the 18th november 2012.
1. SIX PAINTERS AND THE OBJECT
2. ALEXANDER CALDER: A RETROSPECTIVE EXHIBITION
3. PAUL KLEE 1879-1940: A RETROSPECTIVE EXHIBITION
4. ART OF THE AVANT-GARDE IN RUSSIA: SELECTIONS FROM THE GEORGE COSTAKIS COLLECTION
5. ART OF TOMORROW : FIFTH CATALOGUE OF THE SOLOMON R. GUGGENHEIM COLLECTION OF NON-OBJECTIVE PAINTINGS (1939)
