Overview

Here are authentic first-person accounts from the graffiti writers and artists whose creative genius fuelled the earliest flowering of the movement in late 1970s and early 1980s New York. Henry Chalfant's photographs in Subway Art inspired budding graffiti writers around the world; now read the stories behind those iconic images in the words of the pioneers of the graffiti movement. In the late 1970s, New York City was bankrupt, dirty and dangerous. Born on these grimy streets, graffiti rapidly made its mark. Here, twelve legendary graffiti writers - Bil Rock, Breezer, Daze, Jon One, Kel, KR, Lady Pink, Sak, Sharp, Skeme, Spin and Team - give first-person accounts of their experiences. Individually interviewed for this book by Sacha Jenkins, they reveal an authentic, unparalleled insight into the golden age of graffiti.

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9780500239216

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Reviews

'Lively stories excitingly told ... a thorough account that avoids the trap of being over-academic' - Art Book Review

What comes across most clearly is the power of the human spirit. In a volume only six inches by eight inches, photographs add flavor but, unlike most graffiti books, the words dominate.

Presents the first-person accounts of 12 infamous graffiti writers of the 1970s.

A fascinating primer on graffiti writers and culture. Readers interested in the birth of hip-hop, urban culture, or modern art will find this work especially engrossing . . . The ultimate fascination lies in the artists dissection and analyses of their own styles and those of their contemporaries. Readers may be surprised by the careful thought and planning that the execution of each piece entailed.

A fascinating primer on graffiti writers and culture. Readers interested in the birth of hip-hop, urban culture, or modern art will find this work especially engrossing . . . The ultimate fascination lies in the artists' dissection and analyses of their own styles and those of their contemporaries. Readers may be surprised by the careful thought and planning that the execution of each piece entailed.

Author Information

Henry Chalfant is an American photographer and videographer well known for his work on hip hop culture. He is the author of Spraycan Art, and his world-renowned documentation of the artists of the New York subway was memorialized in the most successful book on graffiti ever published, Subway Art, published by Thames & Hudson. Sacha Jenkins is a former New York graffiti writer turned journalist whose books include the Piecebook series of graffiti drawings. He is the co-founder of the seminal hip-hop magazine ego trip, as well as co-author of the best-selling biography of Eminem, The Way I Am.

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