http://www.dirtypilot.com/backroom/Seen.html

DirtyPilot.com Presents the Godfather of Graffiti SEEN – Works on paper from 2006 & 2007. Collection includes Paintings on Paper, Painted Maps and Drawings. Check it Now!

Back in the 1970’s SEEN created a writing crew solely for the purpose of getting your name up on N.Y.City’s Subway Train System. The crew was titled U.A.(UNITED ARTISTS) also known as UA boys. While other crews at the time felt it was nessasary to recruit large numbers, the UNITED ARTISTS kept their number of members small. There were a total of 5 members SEEN MAD PJAY DUSTER and SIN.

SEEN – Now showing through March 15, 2012

http://www.dirtypilot.com/show45-1.html

Welcome Back Albert Reyes

Albert Reyes has been known to spit art on his hands and knees with a mouth full of beer in the middle of the street. He has also shown in a gallery along with a painting by Picasso. These same strange dualities and juxtapositions are highly prevalent in his work, which tackles both conceptual and graffiti art. Recognized for his ubiquitous “GIVE” tag, Albert has a distinctive artistic approach inspired not only by street art, comic books, and American pop culture; but also by contemporary and classical “high art”. Many of his drawings and illustrations incorporate everything from icons of corporate America to Hollywood stars to mass media to politics to consumerism.

Reyes has exhibited at the Tree House Gallery, JUNC Gallery, Bent Gallery, Giant Robot LA SF NY, New Image Art Gallery LA, Upper Playground SF, Low, Balazo, Ampersand, Stay Gold Gallery NYC, Studio Number One, and in Paris, France. He has done album cover artwork for the band Le Rev and singer/songwriter Simone White. He has also appeared in the New York Times: Year In Ideas, Swindle, Chicano Art Magazine and appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live, CW’s Online Nation, and CNN.

Albert Reyes – Showing now through February 18, 2012

http://www.dirtypilot.com/backroom/Quik_graffiti.html

Join us as we welcome back our friend and Graffiti Legend QUIK. Check out new Quik large scale paintings, maps and other works on canvas all adorned with quintessential Quik color and imagery.

‘Quik’ Lin Felton (°1958) started tagging during the 1970’s in Hollis (Queens, New York), the neighbourhood were he grew up. He’s one of the few New York graffiti artists who made it to the art galleries and museums in the 1980’s. His work has developed far beyond the original tagging and although he preserved the spirit of the graffiti, he expanded at the same time their conceptual limits by introducing both social and personal topics into his paintings. The ‘Blues Paintings’ can hardly be described as ‘mere graffiti’. Through the themes as well as by the painting technique, Quik’s graffiti become more than ‘just’ writing. In a subtle, yet ironic way, a well considered balance between statement and sentiment is obtained. Although the canvases at first sight appear like fundamental socio-political critiques, they are still strongly autobiographic. It’s in this interaction between global and personal issues, that the artist as a Black American excels, by pushing the intends of his works beyond the ordinary manifest. As a matter of fact, in the way it deals with African-American life and history, the works of Lin Felton can be perceived as the complete antithesis of socio-political art. Through his works, the artist seems to wrap himself in a pleasant state of discomfort when playing with his ambiguous relation towards oppression. On the one hand, he sings the sorrow of the Black Man through his paint sprayers, but on the other hand he expresses a kind of deeply erotic pleasure by adopting an underdog position towards women. This sometimes confusing duality is not only visible at the conceptual level, but also through the painting technique. ‘Quik’ is well aware of his artistic predecessors and he regularly winks towards art history. Inevitably one recognises Jasper Johns ‘Flag’ or Roy Lichtenstein’s paradigmatic way of representing women in strong black outlines. But despite these elements taken popular culture, Lin Felton can not be considered a Pop artist. Opposite to his well controlled and colourful, almost canonised figurations, stands a hand that paints with a big amount of bravado.

Instead of bright colours, his pallet turns dark, and strong outlines and forms become very irregular. In this way, his interest in painting itself becomes more important than the actual representation, as is for example shown in ‘Enter the King’ (2007). The path chosen by the paint dominates the hand of the artist. The Pop imagery has to make place for a very expressionistic way of rendering, which even tends towards voodoo, as if the painter tries to enchant the spectator in ‘Wall of Sleep’ (2007). Or is it a well considered reference towards the American Abstract Expressionists? Either way, the combination of well known, joyful representations versus a very personal and obscure touch, creates a quite contradictory but pleasant sense of uncanniness, as illustrated by ‘Come ‘ere Lil’ man’ (2007). In this work, a naïvely painted middle-class man becomes the ‘object of desire’ of an almost witch-like dominatrix. This lustful but still obscure way of representing women throughout painting is a regularly returning subject, both in ancient and contemporary art”. But despite their art-historical references, the paintings of Lin Felton have their roots in the streets, where history and theory are subordinate to the representation of personality and style. If graffiti are colourful parasites on the urban image, then Lin Felton’s ‘Blues Paintings’ are their offspring, feeding on contemporary art.

http://www.dirtypilot.com/backroom/blade.html

King Master visionary! Blade is more than a graffiti artist.

A remarkable pivotal figure in the history of graffiti Blade’s successes as a graffiti artist are myriad.Blade’s artwork has been extensively collected & exhibited for over 25years & has participated in over 75 select solo group gallery exhibitions throughout the world!

Blade has also been involved in in numerous symposiums, appeared in hundreds of articles, television features, magazine/ journal publications & catalogues. At the forefront of the subway graffiti art movement in the early 70s, Blade’s work is not only recognized as significantly influential, but his lengthy career as a professional artist has warranted worldwide notoriety & fame.

Painting over 5000 trains & evolving to new levels of subway graffiti as well as canvas, paper and other fine art mediums. Blade has had exhibitions at the Whitney museum(2000) Cleveland’s Rock n Roll Hall of Fame (2000) A 1991 show at The Musse National De Monuments Francais (Paris France) numerous shows at the Groniger Museum, and dozens of shows in Europe & Asia.On October 28,1994,Blade was invited to the Groniger museum to meet the Queen of England, as she was attending the prestigious institustion’s re-opening.

Check out this great NY Times Article   http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/01/automobiles/01EGO.html

http://www.dirtypilot.com/lounge.html

Tats Cru, Inc. is a group of Bronx – based professional muralists whose work in aerosol has challenged the perception of graffiti as art. Twenty-four years ago, three teenagers began their artistic careers by creating subway graffiti. What began as a recognition tactic has evolved into a powerful, expressive style that has brought Tats Cru to the forefront of Mural art. Tats Cru has spearheaded the battle to change peoples perception of graffiti art. Proof of their success and the acceptance of graffiti as an art form has been their work for the Smithsonian’s Institute 35th annual Folklife Festival where Tats Cru was chosen to represent New York City Muralists. Tats Cru’s work now adorns several NYC Public Schools and hospitals. In addition to their work reaching new heights, Thats Cru has also lectured at Hunter College, M.I.T. University of Massachusetts, Cortlandt University, Brooks School and many community based organizations.

Tats Cru’s work has been featured in the New York Times, New York magazine, USA Today, Vibe, Associated Press, The Chicago Tribune, Mass Appeal and many others. Their art has been included in such books as Spray Can Art, The Art of Getting Over and R.I.P Memorial Wall for which Tats Cru mural was chosen as the cover art..

This month we welcome to important members of Tats Cru, BIO and NICER.

Wilfredo “Bio” Feliciano is considered to be one of the top stylists or letter masters throughout the movement worldwide. Known for his many letter styles, complex and intricate wild styles as well as his explosive use of colors. Bio is known as a true master of New York style painting.
Wilfredo “Bio” Feliciano is also a founding member of the world famous art collective known as Tats Cru “The Mural Kings” originally known as TAT Cru founded by Brim, Mack and Bio in the eighties. Tats Cru continues to be a major force in the advancement of graffiti art both commercially and artistically. Tats Cru’s current active members are Hector “Nicer” Nazario, Sotero “Bg183” Ortiz, Raoul “How” Perre, Davide “Nosm” Perre and Totem2.

http://www.dirtypilot.com/lounge.htm

In his current Dirty Pilot show FREEDOM has returned to some of his more iconic images as well as playing with the juxtaposition of some of the signs and the surrounding environment. FREEDOM has also broken down a sketchbook for the show, selecting images that he considered to be highly autobiographical, as well as graffiti pieces and some of the published works from the Stayhigh 149 book.
Check out these Iconic images Now thru October 12th.

Born in 1960, Chris Pape began painting trains in 1974 as a teenager in New York using the name GEN 2. His early train painting career came to a halt as he entered the prestigious La Guardia High School of Music and Art in 1976. The Music and Art curriculum was ambitious and gave him a foundation in skills as diverse as printmaking, watercolor and oil painting. After leaving home, the artist returned to graffiti in 1979 with his new name FREEDOM. While painting graffiti on trains he noticed he was able to get grey tones while rendering in silver and black, with the tones he realized he could draw with paint.

In 1980, while exiting Riverside Park, FREEDOM watched as joggers stopped and stared into a grating above an abandoned tunnel. That March he painted something that would stare back, a twenty-foot high mural of the Mona Lisa. It was to be the beginning of a sixteen-year run of paintings and drawings that would come to be known as the Freedom Tunnel.

In the 1980’s FREEDOM had one foot in the gallery scene, showing with CRASH, Jean Michel Basquiat, FUTURA and others. In 1989, with the emergence of the “Mole People” in the tunnel he chose to abandon his gallery career and focus on painting and drawing the homeless. In 1996 the tunnel was closed off and the artist painted his final work titled “Buy American”.

Chris Pape has continued to keep busy, reemerging as an author and filmmaker, and considered by many to be the leading archivist of the New York subway graffiti movement. He has continued painting the entire time, doing commissions for collectors around the world usually based on the eclectic works in the Freedom Tunnel. His most recent mural was done for LA Moca’s “Art in the Streets” show.

http://www.dirtypilot.com/show1-1.html

One of the nice things about being a graffiti historian is that occasionally you get to shine a light on someone who might not get it. The history of graffiti is a tricky subject. When I was asked to curate a show for Dirty Pilot I was told there were no limitations, I could take the show anywhere. To make my life a little easier I’ve stuck with what I know, the New York City subway movement from 1969 – 1980. Some of the writers in the show I’m curating for Dirty Pilot are superstars in the art world, BLADE and LEE certainly fit that bill; others, like FDT 56, are legends amongst their peers.

This show is extremely democratic in that it includes both. It’s a rare chance to acquire works by legendary writers who don’t normally work on canvas. I feel the show itself spans three generations of writers from TAKI 183 and SNAKE 1 – early 70’s, to SLAVE and PART – mid 70’s style masters, to the emergence of RTW at the end of the decade with BILROCK, QUIK and REVOLT.

It should be noted that without this group of writers there would be no Subway Art or Wild Style, and the world-wide graffiti movement probably wouldn’t exist. They wrote for the love of it at a time when there was no payoff – at least financially, and they would gladly do it all over again!

View work by SNAKE1, STAYHIGH149, STAN153, REVOLT, QUIK, LEE, BILROCK, BLADE, PART, CHAIN3, CRUNCH, SLAVE, TEAM, LSD OM, COMET, RIFF170, PHASE 2, TAKE183, FDT 57, CLIFF159 and more….

Enjoy
Chris Pape / FREEDOM

http://www.dirtypilot.com/lounge.html

Join us as we welcome back Graffiti Legend QUIK this summer at DirtyPilot.

Check out new Quik large scale paintings, maps and smaller works on canvas all adorned with quintessential Quik color and imagery.

‘Quik’ Lin Felton (°1958) started tagging during the 1970’s in Hollis (Queens, New York), the neighbourhood were he grew up. He’s one of the few New York graffiti artists who made it to the art galleries and museums in the 1980’s. His work has developed far beyond the original tagging and although he preserved the spirit of the graffiti, he expanded at the same time their conceptual limits by introducing both social and personal topics into his paintings.

http://www.dirtypilot.com/show1-1.html

DirtyPilot presents REVOLT, MARK BODE & STAN153. A survey of work that includes new works on paper, Hand painted NYC subway maps, collaborative pieces as well as works on canvas. These works will grace the cyber walls at Dirtypilot now through July 22th.

Born and raised in New York City, with graffiti roots in the early 70’s, REVOLT is an original member of the historic NYC subway graffiti crew, The Rolling Thunder Writers (RTW). Known for his ultra-colorful tags and elaborate pieces on the Broadway #1 line, with heavily influenced psychedelic and comic art stylings, and later, taking it “all-city”. With contributions to the seminal classic hip-hop films, “Wild Style and “Style Wars”, his participation in the 80’s East Village art gallery scene, various music videos and, album covers, animation, comics, vinyl toy design, and creating the classic “YO! MTV Raps’ logo. His early 80’s tour of duty in the city of Baltimore is legendary, where he, like a “Messenger of Style”, singlehandedly kick-started a graffiti scene there that still feels his influence today. Revolts place in the history of “graff-dom” is set.

Mark Bode was born in Utica, New York. He is the son of the legendary cartoonist Vaughn Bode. Mark is best known for his work on COBALT 60 and as the creator of the hit comic Miami Mice. Bode attended The Art School in Oakland, California. His first professional job was for Heavy Metal Magazine when he was asked to color his father’s black and white strip Zooks, the First Lizard in Orbit when he was fifteen. He was a fine arts major at The School of Visual Arts in New York City and studied animation and etching at San Francisco State University. His publications include GYRO COMICS, TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES, COBALT 60 (the graphic novel), GWAR comics and LIZARD of OZ.

In his spare time, of which there isn’t much, Mark occasionally performs the Bode cartoon concert, teaches art, plays New Orleans style piano and zydeco accordian. in the near 30 years of Mark’s professional career as an artist, Marks work has appeared in HEAVY METAL, EPIC MAGAZINE, PENTHOUSE, HUSTLER , GAUNTLET MAGAZINE, WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING , GRAPHOTISM, among many, many other magazines and comics. He has had articles featuring his work in the NEW YORK TIMES, SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE, JUXTAPOZ and TABU TATTOO. Marks work has been exhibited in the New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York, the Psychedelic Solution Gallery in New York, Upper Payground Gallery in San Francisco, and has had art shows abroad in Berlin, London, Milan and Barcelona.Mark has designed multiple vinyl toys based on his fathers characters for Kidrobot and Mike Company in Japan and now Planet 6 in New York.Mark has worked with major clothing companies and has produced very popular Bode crossover lines of clothes for Marc Ecko clothing, and most recently and ongoing “Puma International ” where he has designed the Cheech Wizard Puma gear that is on multiple hot pic lists internationally.

Mark has just signed a deal with Universal pictures for the rights to “COBALT 60″ to be produced as a live action movie, directed by Zack Snyder of “Dawn of the Dead (the remake)”, Frank Miller’s “300”, and now his smash hit “The Watchmen”!!! Mark is working on another chapter in the Cobalt 60 story.

STAN 153 started in 1970 in Harlem on 153rd street and 8th Avenue. He was one of the original 3 Yard Boys and one of the founding members of Master Works Productions. He has coloborated and painted with almost every top aerosol artist in New York City. From the seventies to the nineties he has been involved in the graff movement and has done 40 shows in the U.S. and Europe. He has been documented in the first graff book ever, The Faith of Graffiti by Norman Mailer, back in 1974 andGetting Up 1984 by Craig Castleman. His clothing has been featured in Fresh the book of Hip Hop by Susan Finkler. STAN’s work has been displayed at The Tunnel, Baktuns and other venues.