Archive for June, 2009

Vandals Sully an Ode to East Harlem

Saturday, June 27th, 2009

ART UNDER ATTACK A four-story mural at 104th Street and Lexington Avenue from the 1970s features real-life residents. This month, graffiti vandals struck.

The walls of East Harlem can speak. Dozens of colorful murals line the narrow streets and wide avenues, celebrating pleneros and poets, rumberos and revolutionaries. Defying gentrification, their dazzling colors brighten sun-starved stretches and declare that the neighborhood’s residents refuse to budge.

“We have a special flavor in our community because of our murals,” said Carmen Vasquez, a longtime resident. “Our history and culture is there. They’re a way of saying who we are and where we’re going. Everything has a meaning.”

Lamentably so. Ms. Vasquez was dressed in black, the reason for her mourning evident behind her — huge bubble letters, recklessly slathered across the “The Spirit of East Harlem,” a four-story landmark by Hank Prussing that has graced the southeast corner of East 104th Street and Lexington Avenue since 1978.

[Read More]

Via:NYTimes

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Posted in Dumb Shit, Graffiti News, New York Graffiti, Street Art, Street Bombing, Toys, bombing | 3 Comments »

Graffiti – Oldschool Train Bombing

Thursday, June 25th, 2009

Posted in Graffiti News, New York Graffiti, Old School, Online Videos, Train Bombing, YouTube | No Comments »

Lee Quinones: Tribute to the late Iz the Wiz

Friday, June 19th, 2009

Lee Quinones: Tribute to the late Iz the Wiz from Raquel Cepeda on Vimeo.

Legendary graffiti artist Lee Quinones recites a tribute he wrote for the late Masterblaster Iz the Wiz @ the Hellenbeck Gallery in NYC on June 18. We were there to support our friend Henry Chalfant at an Subway Art Anniversary book signing. Check out that beautiful piece in the background by Lee. Incredible.

[Via:djalirancher.com]

Posted in Graffiti News, Graffiti R.I.P, New York Graffiti, Online Videos | 2 Comments »

Graffiti suspect surrenders to Pittsburgh police

Thursday, June 18th, 2009
Thursday, June 18, 2009
By Jerome L. Sherman, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

A Brookline man described by police as one of Pittsburgh’s most prolific graffiti vandals over a two-year period has surrendered to authorities.

Matthew Colamarino, who is No. 4 on the city’s list of “10 Most Wanted Graffiti Vandals,” turned himself in on Tuesday, according to Detective Daniel Sullivan of the Graffiti Task Force.

From March 2006 to June 2008, Mr. Colamarino sprayed his tags — AGANY and AGANY-ONE — on at least 74 spots across Pittsburgh, causing more than $50,000 in property damage. He faces two felony counts and 57 misdemeanor counts of criminal mischief for graffiti.

Detective Sullivan said police received a break in the case last year when Mr. Colamarino was spotted spraying garages in Bloomfield. Investigators then obtained a search warrant for the suspect’s home, where they found a canvas mural with “AGANY.”

Mr. Colamarino, now 24, came to police headquarters for questioning in June of last year. He then gave a full confession and apologized for the graffiti spree, Detective Sullivan said.

Police continued their investigation, using reports to the city 311 complaint line and other sources to track the extent of Mr. Colamarino’s tagging.

“He fully cooperated and showed remorse,” Detective Sullivan said. “In my opinion, he will receive some mercy from the judge assigned to the case.”

Mr. Colamarino is already serving six months of probation after pleading guilty to drug possession this year.

In March, police arrested Ian Debeer, No. 2 on the list of most wanted graffiti vandals, and accused him of causing $212,000 in damage to city and private property.

A year before, city detectives had searched his Mount Washington home and found 500 cans of costly, high-end spray-paint, 300 photographs of graffiti, and videos of Mr. Debeer leaving his mark.

Police said he continued tagging while investigators built a case against him.

The No. 1 most wanted vandal was Daniel Montano, a Highland Park graffiti writer who was sentenced last year to 21/2 to 5 years in state prison after pleading guilty to 79 counts of criminal vandalism.

Police have arrested six of the top 10 vandals. They are not releasing all names on the list because some are juveniles and other suspects are still under investigation.

The Graffiti Task Force was formed in November 2006 and has three full-time detectives. Since its inception, it has made 53 arrests and has six pending arrests, Detective Sullivan said.

[Via:www.post-gazette.com]

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Posted in Graffiti News, Jail Time, Pennsylvania Graffiti, Pig Enforcement, Who Got Bagged?, Who's Up? | 1 Comment »

R.I.P IZ THE WIZ

Wednesday, June 17th, 2009

http://www.myspace.com/izthewiztmb

Posted in Graffiti News | No Comments »

Security camera helps Marina police nab graffiti vandal

Wednesday, June 17th, 2009

Marina police say they used video from a surveillance camera to identify and arrest a man responsible for 14 acts of graffiti vandalism, amounting to more than $400 in damage.

Christopher Reign Hernandez, 24, of Marina used green spray paint to tag numerous walls and other objects Sunday night along Reservation Road, Del Monte Boulevard and Carmel, De Forest and Hillcrest avenues, police said.

Lt. Rick Janicki said officers recognized Hernandez as the vandal after looking at video taken by a security camera where some of the graffiti was done.

Hernandez was wearing the same clothes he had on in the video, which were stained with green paint, when officers found him Tuesday and he had drawings of the graffiti done Sunday, Janicki said.

Hernandez was booked at county jail for felony vandalism and probation violations and is being held in lieu of $20,500 bail, according to jail record clerks.

Janicki said officers are reviewing vandalism reports taken taken in past months to determine if Hernandez is responsible for any other damages.

 

Posted in Graffiti News, Pig Enforcement, Surveillance Cameras | 1 Comment »

Australians jailed over graffiti

Wednesday, June 17th, 2009

Six “intelligent and well-educated” Australians have been jailed for causing damage put at £70,000 during a six-month graffiti spree in London.

The men targeted Tube and overground trains, Southwark Crown Court heard.

The graffiti artists, who all admitted criminal damage, were caught in Ilford, east London, by police officers who heard rattling cans and smelt paint.

Sentencing, Judge Michael Gledhill said it was “appalling” to see “talented” graffiti artists sitting in the dock.

Ringleader of the graffiti gang – called the AMF – Marcus Wisman, 22, was sentenced to 16 months for conspiracy to commit criminal damage.

‘Talented artists’

Scott Mulhearn, 21, Adrian Hing, 22, Luke Vassell, 23, Jack Shumack, 24, and Alex Wisman, 24, were also jailed over the vandalism attacks between late summer and Boxing Day last year.

Mulhearn received 14 months imprisonment, Shumack and Hing were both sentenced to 12 months, Vassell received a 10-month sentence and Alex Wisman was jailed for eight months.

The court heard that each of the men has an interest in graphic art.

Marcus Wisman, Shumack, Hing and Vassell have all either worked as graphic designers or hope to train to do so.

Sentencing, Judge Gledhill said: “Each of you are intelligent well-educated young men, hard working and capable of holding down jobs.

“Each of you are talented artists, in terms of graffiti artists, so to have to see the six of you sitting in the dock of this court about to be sentenced is quite appalling.”

All of the men will serve half their sentence on licence and will not face deportation.

British Transport Police detectives found evidence that the gang had also left its mark in Australia and Japan, after discovering photographic evidence of previous vandalism attacks.

[Via:BBC]

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Posted in Australian Graffiti, Graffiti News, Jail Time, Pig Enforcement, Who Got Bagged? | 2 Comments »

‘Jerky’ graffiti vandal from Staten Island heading back to jail

Wednesday, June 17th, 2009

For the second time in eight months, a notorious Staten Island graffiti vandal has been thrown in jail for defacing property.

Corey Rosalli, 19, was sentenced to seven months behind bars stemming from separate graffiti incidents last year. The Mariners Harbor resident is the fourth defendant to receive jail time for graffiti-related convictions in the past two years, said prosecutors.

Rosalli was released earlier this year after being sentenced in October to six months in jail in a separate graffiti case. Prosecutors accused him of plastering his tag, “Jerky” on just about anything stationary across Staten Island in 57 incidents dating to December 2006, when he was 17.

Rosalli was sentenced then as a youthful offender, meaning that conviction and another graffiti-related conviction didn’t go on his criminal record.

In the latest case, Rosalli pleaded guilty before trial in Stapleton Criminal Court on March 23 to two misdemeanor counts of making graffiti and one misdemeanor assault count. The pleas related to episodes on June 20 and Oct. 1 of last year.

In the former, Rosalli was accused of defacing a railroad overpass on DeHart Avenue.

In the latter, he allegedly tussled with cops who showed up at his door to bust him for graffiti incidents on July 4 and Aug. 15. Rosalli spray-painted “Jerky” or “JE” on the side of a building and metal door in Meiers Corners and on a container, gate and U.S. Postal Service mailbox in Travis, prosecutors said.

Judge Alan J. Meyer sentenced Rosalli yesterday to seven months in jail under his plea.

“It’s very sad. He suffered. His family suffered,” his Rosalli’s lawyer, Michael Braunsberg. “We’re glad that it’s over. I know he’s not going to do it again.”

Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Cilia prosecuted the cases.

Rosalli joins three other graffiti defendants who have served jail time over the past two years.
In August 2007, Judge Matthew A. Sciarrino Jr. sentenced Russell Farriola of West Brighton to six months in jail and three years’ probation for his role in about 50 separate graffiti incidents.

In March of this year, Midland Beach resident Joseph Battaglia was sentenced to 30 days behind bars and three year’s probation. He was charged in 75 graffiti incidents on Staten Island and also ordered to pay $5,000 restitution.

Also, in March, Edward Chimera of Port Richmond received six months in jail and five years’ probation for defacing bus shelters and other locations. Chimera must also fork over $2,900 restitution.

-Reported by Frank Donnelly

[Via:www.silive.com]

Tags:
Posted in Graffiti News, Jail Time, New York Graffiti, Pig Enforcement, Street Bombing, Who Got Bagged? | 1 Comment »

Graffiti Gains New Respect

Wednesday, June 10th, 2009

PARIS — Like a slow-burning fuse, graffiti has smoldered in the contemporary art world for decades: omnipresent in the streets yet not quite hot enough to catch fire in the market. But this year it exploded, with graffiti and “street art” shows in major museums and gallery spaces both sides of the Atlantic — and people have been lining up round the block to get in.

In March and April, a show of graffiti tags in the south-west gallery of the Grand Palais, one of the top Paris exhibition venues, was a media and public sensation.

“The lines around the building every day were even longer than those for the Warhol exhibition next door,” said Alain-Dominique Gallizia, a French architect who created the show, during an interview.

On 300 identical rectangular canvases, Mr. Gallizia commissioned matched pairs of paintings from leading street artists worldwide, to create a panorama of graffiti’s historical and geographical development from 1970s New York subway roots to modern urban landscapes as far-flung as Australia and Brazil.

Included in the show were works by Taki 183, the onetime New York delivery boy credited with first turning signature tags into a form of self expression; Lady Pink, an early female tagger; Bando, known in everyday life as Philippe Lehman, a scion of the Lehman banking family, who first brought New York-style graffiti to France in the 1980s; and Nunca, the Brazilian street artist from São Paulo who shot to international fame a year ago when he was chosen as one of six artists to spray paint giant murals on the river facade of the Tate Modern, in London.

“You can see the characteristics of each country through the artists,” Mr. Gallizia said. “This collection is a work in progress and it’s continually expanding. My dream is to bring it to the Guggenheim in New York.”

Mr. Gallizia may be dreaming of New York, but late last month two Paris galleries beat him to the door. On May 28, the Helenbeck and Gismondi galleries opened “Whole in the Wall,” a combined show of graffiti and antique furniture at the former Splashlight Studios in Midtown Manhattan.

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Via:NYTimes

Posted in Graffiti News | No Comments »