Streetlife-Paris & Pure Evil Gallery present NEW YORK KINGS PURE EVIL NOV 1st – NOV 12 COPE2, BLADE, STAY HIGH 149, FUZZ ONE, BOM5, RD 149, JEZ, SEN2, INDIE 184 and more
NEW YORK KINGS
OVER THREE DECADES AGO, THE MEAN STREETS AND PROJECTS OF PHILLY, DETROIT & NYC BEGAN TO BLOSSOM BRIGHT WITH SPRAY-PAINTED TALES AND TAGS OF INNER-CITY 'HOODRATS ARMED WITH SPRAY CANS, INNATE ARTISTIC TALENT, AND A WAY WITH WORDS AND IMAGERY WHETHER IT BE SPOKEN OR DRAWN THAT DEMANDED TO BE SEEN AND HEARD. THE BEST BECAME KNOWN AS GRAFFITI KINGS, A TITLE NOT EASILY WON. THIS SMALL BAND OF GUERILLA ARTISTS, INNOVATORS OF A NOW GLOBAL ART FORM ARE ONE OF THE FEW TO EARN THE RIGHT TO INCORPORATE THE CROWN IMAGE IN THEIR ART OR ABOVE THEIR TAG, THROUGH ACCRUING THE HIGHEST NUMBER OF TAGS IN THE MOST DIFFICULT TO ACCESS PLACES OR MOST OPENLY DEFIANT PUBLIC SPACES. STYLISH, SUBVERSIVE, IN-YER-FACE POLITICAL AND SOCIAL COMMENT PERPETRATED BY ANONYMOUS TAGSTERS USING THE CITY AND ITS TRANSPORT SYSTEMS AS THEIR URBAN CANVAS. NOW BANNED FROM STREET AND SUBWAY, THE NEW YORK KINGS HAVE FOUND ANOTHER WAY TO EXPRESS THEMSELVES, MORE CONTAINED THIS TIME BUT NO LESS IRONIC. IN LONDON FOR THE FIRST TIME IN OVER A DECADE, A UNIQUE EXHIBITION OF THE GODFATHERS OF GRAFFITI ART USING NEW YORK SUBWAY MAPS AS THEIR CANVAS TO TELL THEIR 30 YEAR STORY WHILE REMAINING TRUE TO THEIR ROOTS. THIS IS A RARE OPPORTUNITY TO SEE EXAMPLES OF A GENRE THAT IS OFTEN TEMPORARY BY ITS VERY NATURE. EVEN MORE SPECIAL IS THE LIMITED AVAILABILITY TO OWN A WORK OF URBAN ART THAT IS ALSO A PIECE OF HISTORY.
NEW YORK KINGS – NOV 1st – NOV 12 Opening Thursday 1st November 6 pm – 9 pm Music : DJ BOM5 – “Rocking Steady Mix”
Pure Evil Gallery 108 Leonard St London EC2A 4XS