Overview

NY City of Kings chronicles the history of graffiti's genesis in New York from its late 1960s origin to the present, as seen through the lens of writers who started the movement. This narrative intends to help elucidate how the unprecedented movement of NYC graffiti culture spread internationally, and how graffiti has become so lodged and influential within our present popular culture. The accompanying exhibit installation features a monumental walk-through timeline covering the rich, complex history of New York graffiti history, including hundreds of famous and obscure images, lore and facts from 1967 to the present. ""What makes this exhibit different is that the narrative is told through the lens, and voice of the actual players who created graffiti, not observers, gallerists, art historians, collectors or academics. New York City graffiti artists have historically been underrepresented and our narrative has been misinterpreted or skewed. An accessible, concise account for the general public has been overdue. As a lifelong, committed member of the graffiti and art communities, I feel compelled to share this story, and I am proud to have an opportunity to tell it."" - Al Díaz, NYC (August 2022)

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9781515448181

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Reviews

"A compact, attractive, and dense timeline colorfully presents a cogent, multifaceted historical record of the secretive yet public graffiti culture..."" - Brooklyn Street Art ""Lucid and data-rich, this is the telling of how a widespread urge to tag the New York streets survived years of intense government attacks and has become a global art movement..."" - Anthony Haden-Guest, writer/art critic ""Beautifully presented essential history - and the book is equally fantastic."" - Jim Jarmusch, filmmaker ""It is a very well thought out and researched history, comparing the early events in graffiti art in New York City with the current cultural and social events of the time. Very informative!"" - Bob Gruen, pop culture photographer ""Events, history, information and spotlighted artists can be found within this 'hitchhikers guide' to graffiti."" - Dave Navarro, musician/visual artist ""...documents [graffiti's] rise from tagging names through layups, yards and ultimately on a global stage...masterfully juxtaposes developments in style with what was happening in New York socially, economically and politically, providing crucial context. This is the story from the inside, not some overhyped hiphop fanboy fever dream."" - David Gonzales, The New York Times"

A compact, attractive, and dense timeline colorfully presents a cogent, multifaceted historical record of the secretive yet public graffiti culture... - Brooklyn Street Art Lucid and data-rich, this is the telling of how a widespread urge to tag the New York streets survived years of intense government attacks and has become a global art movement... - Anthony Haden-Guest, writer/art critic Beautifully presented essential history -and the book is equally fantastic. - Jim Jarmusch, filmmaker It is a very well thought out and researched history, comparing the early events in graffiti art in New York City with the current cultural and social events of the time. Very informative! - Bob Gruen, pop culture photographer Events, history, information and spotlighted artists can be found within this 'hitchhikers guide' to graffiti. - Dave Navarro, musician/visual artist ...documents [graffiti's] rise from tagging names through layups, yards and ultimately on a global stage...masterfully juxtaposes developments in style with what was happening in New York socially, economically and politically, providing crucial context. This is the story from the inside, not some overhyped hiphop fanboy fever dream. - David Gonzales, The New York Times

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