Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Two nine-year-olds rack and bomb

This story recently ran in the Great Lakes Advocate. It brought to mind a young FUZZ ONE.

Nine-year-old’s graffiti rampage
14 Jul, 2010 09:39 AM
TWO nine-year-old children have been cautioned by police after vandalising the Boronia Park playing fields.

The children stole cans of spray paint from a Breese Parade business between 12.15pm and 1.15pm last Wednesday before making their way to Boronia Park where they graffitied the club house and other property.

It took graffiti buster Ted Bickford 15 hours to remove the damage. The attack on Boronia Park is the most recent Mr Bickford has dealt with over the last fortnight. Others have occurred on the Pioneer Monument in Macintosh St, a church and several public toilet blocks. Mr Bickford urges people to report graffiti as soon as they see it.

Monday, July 12, 2010

Represent London (graffiti)

Great London web site.
www.representlondon.com/index.php/blog/

Graffiti vs. Street Art: TEAM ROBBO vs. BANKSY


Yes I'm still blogging on London. LOL

Recently a conflict erupted between BANKSY and ROBBO--a widely respected writer form London's old school. The conflict arose after BANKSY dissed a ROBBO piece on a wall along the Regent’s Canal in London. The piece had remained untouched since 1985.The fact that it remained untouched was a testament to the fact that writers in London have a deeply held respect for prior generations. Last Christmas ROBBO came out of a long retirement to retaliate. A loosely knit team of ROBBO supporters was formed under the name TEAM ROBBO. The supporters have participated in an artistic conflict with BANKSY in which art works are defaced in a game of witty one-upmanship. The story became international news and the conflict came to represent the larger conflict between street art and graffiti art.

@149st recently interviewed ROBBO, CHOCI and other TEAM ROBBO members.
Visit site: www.at149st.com/robbovbanksy.html

London Hand Styles


London Hand Styles is yet another great book on the London scene. This is a book focuses on the most important, yet overlooked form of graffiti--the "tag". It is an incredible collection of tags from a broad scope of writers in London. It also features commentary from the artists that offer an intimate look at the hearts of "real" writers. Here is one of my faves from ROBBO. "We was in yards five nights a week. We didn't bother with the weekends, that was for part time school boys who hotted things up"

From the publisher: London Hand Styles is a full colour 160 page book with over 800 images documenting some of London's finest tags from the 80's through to the present day.

Also featured in the book are words, quotes and legendary tales from London's most notorious and prolific writers including SUB, SHAM, DIET, DRAX, MEROK, DZIA, ZOMBY, REGRET, 2 KOLD, PANIK, 10 FOOT plus many more.

With the clean up operation now well under way, sadly you can no longer see the work of London's most infamous writers... ...this book allows you never to forget.

www.londonhandstyles.com

London Burners


Just peeped a great new book by Jete Swami called London Burners published by Prestel. It is an amazing collection of paintings and artists in action on the London Underground. A must have.


From the publisher: A young photographer explores the artistry and adventure that goes into the incredible graffiti of London's overground and underground trains.
Some of the most outrageous graffiti art in the world barrels through the city of London in a blur of color. These moving canvases and the people who create the dubs or burners are the subject of an electrifying collection of images by photographer Jete Swami. As a teenager, he hung out in sidings and soon learned to paint trains, all the while taking photos and filming his friends-which he continues to do today. In revealing interviews with the photographer, these artists speak out about the joys and dangers of bombing and burning their tags, throw-ups and pieces on to London transport. In addition to vibrant reproductions of the works themselves are shots of the artists as they work under cover of night or scramble to avoid arrest. A unique collection of London's most dazzling high-speed train art, London Burners captures the intensity of this most urban of artistic expressions.
Check out the Youtube promo.

London Train Bombing

I just read this in the Harrow Observer. Seems like artists across the pond can not resist painting steel either.

THREE young men from Pinner have been jailed for up to nine months, and a 17-year-old for eight months, after admitting to their part in a graffiti campaign targeting London Underground trains.The sentences were handed out amid emotional scenes at Southwark Crown Court on Friday (9) as the defendants' families looked on.
Read full story.