Shannon Cottrell
FINALLY! Another "Special Art Post"! The last one was ages ago, so I thought it was about time to write a new one, and as I wanted this comeback to be special, I've chosen none other than master of desaster, king of graffiti, legend of the aerosol and one who's pretty high on my neverending list of favourite artists - RISK!
In a career spanning 27 years, RISK has impacted the evolution of graffiti as an art form in Los Angeles and worldwide. RISK gained major notoriety for his unique style and pushed the limits of graffiti further than any writer in L.A. had before: He was one of the first writers in Southern California to paint freight trains, and he pioneered writing on “heavens,” or freeway overpasses. At the peak of his career he took graffiti from the streets and into the gallery with the launch of the Third Rail series of art shows, and later parlayed the name into the first authentic line of graffiti-inspired clothing. ...
We've just been forwarded an email sent by the Brooklyn Museum to a street artist in the "Art in the Streets" show, currently on view at the MOCA. The Brooklyn Museum was scheduled to be the next shop in the show's tour, but that's no more.
Read the letter from Brooklyn Museum Director Arnold Lehman below:
I am writing with the unfortunate news the Brooklyn Museum must withdraw as the second venue for "Art in the Streets." I asked our curator, Sharon Matt Atkins, for your email address so that you might hear this news directly from me. ...
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. ...