Collabo at Ghetto Gloss in LA

PACIFIC ART COLLECTIVE’S COLLABO Tour, featuring THE EXCHANGE & THE SEVENTH LETTER graffiti projects, is having a live painting event with graffiti writers from all over the planet.

While we’ve already mentioned the mad skills of members of the Seventh Letter in our film and in our blog posts, here’s what the exchange is all about:

THE EXCHANGE was started in 2005, with six participants from different areas of the United States. The group is currently made up of 13 members from North America and Europe. The participants of The Exchange pair off into six groups of two, trading names and personal styles through sketches. This step is repeated until everyone in the group has traded outlines at least once.

The sketches are drawn, scanned, and traded via email. They are then printed out and executed by the receiving artist in their particular city.

The objective is to create an awareness of distinct lettering styles and trends. The goal is for all in the group to be able to become more versatile through attempts at graffiti styles out of their personal comfort zone. The artists in the group may learn new techniques and compositions from the exchange.

Sounds like the perfect global get down, with a bit of childhood nostalgia no? So don’t miss it, and if you’re not in LA they’re hitting some other cities so check their website!

Details below:

Tue 8.21 (7-11pm) Ghetto Gloss (2380 Glendale Blvd, Silverlake, 323.912.0008)

https://www.pacificartcollective.com/collabo.htm 

Posted in Events, Graffiti, Los Angeles | 1 Comment

Real graffiti-life

After two decades of being subjected to graffiti-related media and the selling of graffiti lifestyle merchandise (from clothing to overpriced “bomber’s” spray-paint), I have rarely been satisfied with how graffiti writers are depicted or marketed to as a consumer group (or themselves packaged for the consumption by a mainstream and often hostile society). But Bomb-It is among the very few media depictions of graffiti writers and their lifestyles that does not evoke laughter from a true writer nor disgust from someone who cares about due respect for true practitioners. This documentary is a real depiction of how real writers operate in and around the very real spaces of real cities. The artistic fluff and varied cliché opinions are cut out to make room for what graffiti writers have to say about their own tactics, dilemmas, transgressions, and motivations. The film is not selling graffiti as much as it is sharing the lifestyle with viewers who are asked to neither romanticize nor condemn it. Instead, this film is simply a view of parts of the city, and even parts of the world, that most of us will never experience first hand. As a graffiti writer and an academic I enjoyed this movie as it was done intelligently as well as realistically.

-Stefano Bloch

Posted in Filmmaking, Graffiti, Headline, News, Press, Review | Leave a comment

Interview in Art Bureau zine

The funky DIY style artzine Art Bureau latest issue (no 14) includes an interview with me about Bomb It. As an extra special treat Restitution Press did some incredible art for us to contribute to the story.

Here’s how Giant Robot reviewed Art Bureau :

“This well-organized, offset zine is a gallery in print. There isn’t a lot of words in this publication, which provides an unpretentious look at some artists who you may or may not know. Projects like these are a labor of love, for sure, and it’s great to see that knowledge and visuals aren’t always passed along via blogs and can still exist in black and white.”

And here’s an excerpt from the interview:

What is your opinion on the “broken window” theory in relation to graffiti?

While the “broken window” theory was not originally written with the intent to provide a framework for dealing with graffiti specifically, many politicians use it as evidence in support of their own policies. The “broken window” theory states that when a neighborhood begins to decline visually, with broken windows and graffiti, criminals feel that no one cares about the area and it is an easy target for them, more crime in the area occurs, and the neighborhood continues to decline in a downward spiral. I think that this is sort of a chicken and the egg problem. Poverty, racism, and the lack of education causes crime. But these are not easy issues for the law to tackle. It’s much easier to blame the graffiti writer in a hoodie.

During one of our interviews in response to the question, “Does graffiti cause crime?” a NYC writer name Dro responded, “Does graffiti cause white collar crime?” I think he made a very good point.

So check out Art Bureau and get yourself a copy of some affordable art that fits in your pocket.

Read the full Art Bureau Interview here

Posted in Dro ACC, Graffiti, Interview, Press, Quality of Life, Street Art | Leave a comment

PEACE: Iranian Graffiti

So check this out! To follow up on our post about graffiti in Tehran we found a video of a1one in action called “Iranian Underground Peace Graffiti”.

See more of the Iranian Underground’s videos on their YouTube channelIf you are still curious about graffiti in Iran you can read a great interview with a1one in Ping Mag here

Posted in a1one, Graffiti, Street Art, Tehran, Iran, Video | Leave a comment

Graffiti in Tehran?

So I came across this blog and thought it deserved to get the word out. While the US government wants you to think that Iran is our sworn enemy and that its a repressed society without any individual freedom of expression, it looks like we have something else in common.

Take a peek at what the other side is hitting their streets with. And it ain’t weapons of mass destruction. It’s graffiti and street art in Iran. Power to the People!

Check out the general blog: Iran Graffiti and Urban Art Report


Wait Here by a1one


Art is Dead poster by a1one

Digging deeper I found a1one who has some really provocative stuff up in the streets of Tehran. I’ve posted a few pics of his work here I found interesting, but you can go straight to the source at his website Tehran Walls. He’s even got peace packs in .pdf for free download. So come on, show some solidarity to a1one! Reach a hand out in peace to your friend on the other side of our governments’ wall and check out some art that you wouldn’t be exposed to otherwise. We are all ONE!

Shepard Fairey/ Obey Giant would be proud! Disobey by a1one

What more can I say? This image says it all.

Posted in a1one, Graffiti, Street Art, Tehran, Iran | 1 Comment