Revok’s Side Of The Story
As you all know, Revok was arrested and convicted for 180 days a while ago. Fortunately he was released three days ago and told us his side of the story.
You guys probably know that I'm a big fan of graffiti, always happy to find some color in the streets. I still can understand, when home owners aren't so happy when someone writes on their walls and they have to pay for the removal. However, charging one of the greatest graffiti artists for painting murals with the property owners consent is just ridiculous! This is a clear attack against the art itself and has nothing to do with vandalism!
Here's Revok's blog post:
-After 44 days and 24,000$ of debt I am finally out of jail… Thank you soo very much to all of you people who showed your support with drawings, paintings, etc. It means a great deal to me that there are people out there that actually give a shit.
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2 Artists, 2 Coasts, Both in Jail for Graffiti
Left, LA II, right, Revok. (images via dnainfo.com & ballerstatus.com)
As LA’s MOCA tries to give graffiti and street art their moment in the Southern California sun, in New York
LA II, aka Angel Ortiz, and in Los Angeles,
Revok, aka Jason Williams, are in jail for doing the art they love.
While LA II, who is best known as a collaborator of Keith Haring, has quietly languished at Riker’s Island prison, Revok’s arrest and subsequent sentencing has been accompanied by a vocal outcry from his comrades and fans, including Shepard Fairey, who
issued a poster last week to raise money for his legal defense fund.
The debate about graffiti and street art and its role in a democratic and free society is sure to rage on as the artists associated with the art form continue to make waves by openly challenging vandalism laws. The whole phenomenon is strangely reminiscent of the emergence of hip hop in the 1980s and 90s, when artists (and their handlers) often parlayed criminal charges into more publicity and fame for the artist.
The largest question is do artists have — or should they have — a right to create art on public property or the property of others.
The Twitterverse has been very vocal about its anger regarding Revok’s arrest.
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