DAVID SEPULVEDA PHOTO
Less than 24 hours after New Haven-based graffiti artist Dooley‑O (pictured) paid homage to his “heroes” — New York graffiti legends about whom books have been written — a mural he worked on for a full day was covered over by some of those very same legends.
The scene unfolded at an Art in the Park exhibition event at the newly refurbished Coogan Pavilion and Skate Park in Edgewood Park.
Both local and visiting all-star graffiti artists came to spray the park — and ended up in some cases spraying over each other’s work — pressing the question, as usual with aerosol art, of whether it should be transitory or more permanent, and what constitutes respect.
The occasion was a graffiti convention sponsored by Site Projects Inc., a nonprofit organization that commissions international artists for permanent and temporary displays of public art in New Haven, in collaboration with Channel One, a New Haven retail gallery and cultural hub that fosters community development through its youth-oriented arts and music events.
Sharing an exterior pavilion wall with Dooley‑O at the convention’s start last Saturday was graffiti and tattoo artist Eric Mikita (pictured), a.k.a. Cers One, who owns Keys on Kites Tattoo & Gallery in Westville. The alley and adjacent parking lot walls outside his business have become a destination for graffiti artists near and far, and an attraction for neighborhood residents. International street artist Swoon, with permission from Kehler Liddell Gallery (KLG) last week, pasted up a new work at the alley’s entrance, her third installation in the city under the auspices of Site Projects. In a departure from its mission of commissioning international and outside artists, Site Projects decided to include some local artists as part of this year’s theme.
T-Kid 170 mural covers Dooley-O’s design.
Mikita said he left the park Saturday feeling “ecstatic, proud, and honored” after completing his mural, a semi-abstract graffiti design based on his writing name. He was chagrined to learn Sunday that his new piece, along with Dooley‑O’s, had been painted over.
Having been assigned a generic wall space weeks earlier, Mikita said he should not have to cede wall space to the visiting legends Saturday morning, after parks personnel informed project curator Lou Cox that one of the anticipated walls for the event would be off limits. Out-of-state artists were consigned to painting on temporary panels Mikita hung along the skate park fence during the early set-up. Other artists spread out over the skate park, painting the ramps, bumps, and barriers of the park’s topography.
Part One’s mural covers the former Mikita (CERS) mural.
Cox had initially hoped the artists would amicably sort out their painting stations among themselves. Later he made the executive decision to allow repainting of the Dooley‑O and Mikita murals by style masters T‑Kid 170 (Julius Cavero) and Part One (Enrique Torres), in keeping with the Site Project mandate and thematic imagery more related to the site.
The incident did not overshadow the two-day slate of events Site Projects had scheduled — involving exhibitions and discussions — but it did highlight an aspect of graffiti culture wherein mentorship and seniority are prized, and deference to the pioneers of the art form expected.
Meeting of the Minds
Janette Beckman, left, Cey Adams, and Chino.
Over the series of panel discussions with the legendary artists, themes about the evolving nature of graffiti emerged as the culture transitions from a self-promoting, rebel-based art form to one that corporations increasingly employ to imbue their branding with the cachet of street art.
Just as writing styles of graffiti art have evolved from tagging and bombing to more elaborate, illustrative expressions, the very word graffiti, loaded with stigma and outlaw associations, seems inadequate in defining evolving aerosol art modalities.
A workshop by international artist and New Haven native Akua Naru entitled “Hip Hop, Introduction of the Word & the Beat,” addressed the convergence of graffiti and hip hop cultures. Naru rapped to music played by Jemar Phoenix and discussed her international experiences, including her performance at a Palestinian refugee camp.
In a pavilion interior space, artist Dave Thomas worked on completing his predominantly black and white finger print mural.
Beckman, Site Project’s Gabriel DaSilva, and T-kid 170 at the Beckman exhibit at Manjares.
Janette Beckman exhibited some of her work at Manjares Café nearby. Beckman has earned an international reputation as a photo documentarian of youth and rebel cultures, including the nascent punk rock movement in her native England in the 1970s and the beginnings of the hip-hop movement in the United States in the 1980s. Her portfolio includes shoots with the late graffiti artist Keith Haring as well as commercial work for bands such as the Police.
A more interactive workshop was “The Art of Break Dancing,” with Hartford’s Taris Clemons (pictured), who dissected break dance moves as audience members followed along.
Graffiti legends at Art in the Park. Channel One’s Lou Cox, front row, far right.
Prominent among the legends of graffiti artists was Cey Adams, who for 20 years worked with hip hop mogul Russell Simmons as creative director at Def Jam Records. Cey said he has gravitated toward developing a fine arts career where his works, now made on canvas, hang on gallery walls. As one who often does motivational speaking with student groups, Cey noted the importance of developing youth-centric activities. “If you don’t give these kids an outlet, they will create one for themselves,” he cautioned.
Another graffiti luminary, David “Chino” Villorente, who moderated several panel discussions, works with youth offenders in New York’s criminal justice system. Chino noted the growing acceptance of graffiti art by institutions and the general public: “Finally museums are starting to recognize that what we are doing is important.”
For Dr. Revolt, one of the biggest names in the pantheon of New York graffiti legends, it seemed like another day at the office. He had created a piece on one of the temporary panels, and a collector approached event sponsors at the end of the day about purchasing it.
Muck creates a self-portrait on ramp.
While graffiti making is largely a male-dominated vocation, Art in the Park had several notable women artists. Jules Muck, based in Venice Beach, CA, specializes in aerosol portraiture.
Large Q.A. letters are embedded in the design.
Queen Andrea, (Andrea von Bujdoss) is a typography and mural specialist and graduate of Parsons New School for Design.
New Yorker Alice Mizrachi, at day’s end, could be seen painting a minibus parked in the skate park.
Local paint artists included Hi Crew, recent participants in the Under 91 Project, Zeph Farmby, Josh Griffin, Tenk 2, and Ryan Cyr.
As DJ Lokash provided the musical backdrop for the event, skateboarders were not waiting for the paint to dry.
A bike group thought the artwork was “good,” but hoped to see images of their favorites: Japanese anime and zombie apocalypse characters.
Rebecca Bombero, New Haven’s director of parks, recreation, and trees, who was on hand for the event, said that commissioners will reevaluate the murals after the contracted time of one year to determine whether they will hold on to them longer. “For now,” noted the director, “the skate park has been rather bleak and the art helps draw attention to the space. The skate park is here to stay and there is always room for innovation.”