Cryptic Aphorisms in Chicago Graffiti
by: kate
concepts | photo essay | bio and site summary | explore chicago |
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basic tag on a road block (strictly social) |
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piecing: Piecing is when an artist, many times in collaboration with others members of their tagging crew, paints a large mural. Piecing can be considered a more elaborate and social version of the tag, specifically because there is a larger amount of time and preparation nessecary then in the case of a juvenile tag. As well a writer or writers are able to demonstrate their creative and artistic abilities in such a collaboration. When piecing writers will usually prep their target wall with latex paint prior to starting the project so as to create a congruent backdrop for their compostition, this process also helps to conserve costly spray paint that would otherwise be absorbed by the brick. Unique to piecing, handmade stencils are used with spray paint to speed up the writing process, although a quicker, safer alternative to free hand painting a piece, a majority of graffiti artists scoff at the idea and consider it cheating. |
a small stencil piece |
writers prepping a wall
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gang symbols: Gang lexicon is a form of graffiti that involves a special form of language with which many people are unfamiliar. These encoded messages exist as a widely visible form of sub-cultural graffiti in Chicago, namely surrounding groups affiliated with one of two factions, these being People and Folks. Some more notable gangs that exist under these social pyramids are Insane Duces, Latin Kings, and Vice Lords (all people), and Satan Deciples, Gangster Deciples, and Spanish Cobras (all folks). Gang graffiti is prevalent usually in the specific gangs community and stands as a designation of the groups territory. Cryptic messages are often times masked in a barrage of characters usually dictating violent activity between warring groups. |
gang graffiti of the latin kings
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throw ups: Throw ups can be best characterized as the medium of writing which exists between the margins of the aforementioned tags and pieces. The definitive aspect of throwing up is the 2-d tag. Less elaborate then the stylized characters prevalent in murals these throw ups still manage to maintain/ convey a higher level of sophistication in writing style then a tag. Throw ups usually consist of two toned writing in bubble letters, with a shadow or thick dark outline to add dimension. The artistic aspect of this elite form of tagging allows writers to gain more respect in their graffiti community. Throw ups are most commonly done on rooftops, alleys, subway tunnels, and train/subway/freight cars. |
a wild style throw up
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sign
painting:
Sign Painting is usually viewed by the graffiti subculture as a less glorified
version of an illegal piece. Members of tagging crews usually do this in
order to gain the monetary means to obtain more paint for illegal creations.
Small business owners usually solicit the aid of writers so as to make a
bold, colorful, unconventional statement about their establishment. As well
proprieters may seek the aid of writers because graffiti is a cheaper form
of advertising and can be easily adapted, for example we could consider
a business who changes the advertisement on the side of their building for
seasonal promotions. |
Yangos Burgers & Stuff graffiti add and regular sign |
photo
essay summary: In the comprehensive arena of graffiti history from the early eighties to present day, writers and other purveyors of the hip hop movement have debated the upon the matter of graffiti transcending space from the public street forum, to that of the private gallery arena. There are writers committed to the grass roots aspect of the hip hop movement that seem to object to graffiti oriented pieces being bought and sold in the art world. These writers place a large amount of worth on the illegality of their graffiti and the statement that it conveys and therefore feel as though the essence of their sub cultural lexicon is devalued and subsequently lost in the alternate goals of self establishment that the art world brings to their trade. Jean-Michel Basquait was one of the pioneers in the New York Graffiti art scene in the late seventies and early eighties who gave new meaning to the physical movement of graffiti by taking his underground epigrams from hip hop sub culture and transplanting his ideas directly into pop culture. He achieved this by peddling t-shirts and post cards that boasted the ideas of his abstract graf writing alter ego SAMO. In this photo essay I attempt to dissect the issues surrounding the constant re configuration and movement of graffiti in pop culture. |
Site
Summary Name: Kate |