Saturday, May 5
3:00 - 6:00pm
Graffiti symposium
Reception and booksigning
GRAFFITI L.A.
By Steve Grody
Published by Harry N. Abrams, New York
“Their art influences were many, but significantly it
is the hip-hop culture itself, the experiences of inner-city life,
comic book characters both national and Japanese, and an innate
sense of color and design.”
---Jim Prigoff, from the Foreword
Destined to become an invaluable resource to graffiti fans is the
vivid, illustrated book, GRAFFITI L.A.: Street Styles and Art (Abrams;
$35.00 hardcover; May 2007; ISBN 978-0-8109-9298-6.) by Steve Grody.
Lavishly illustrated with more than 900 color photographs and one
full-color map, the book features interviews with some of L.A.’s
prominent and infamous writers, some of whom had never been interviewed.
Long before graffiti was adopted as the visual expression of hip-hop
culture in the 1980s, Latino gang members in East Los Angeles had
been developing stylized calligraphy and writing on walls. Cholo
(gangster) scripts became the first distinctive letter forms to
evolve in the modern vernacular tradition of graffiti writing. Today
Los Angeles writers of diverse backgrounds draw from a unique confluence
of cultures that has led to regionally distinctive styles.
GRAFFITI L.A. provides a comprehensive and visual history of graffiti
in Los Angeles as well as an in-depth examination of the myriad
styles and techniques used by writers today. Complementing the main
text, interviews with L.A.’s most prolific and infamous writers
provide insight into the lives of these artists. GRAFFITI L.A. is
essential to the understanding of the development of the graffiti
movement.
“Steve Grody undertakes to guide the reader through the streets
of Los Angeles, perceptively examining the culture and at the same
time gaining the confidence of the artists in order to get their
stories in print, many for the very first time. The interviews in
this book reveal many insights and details about ‘the fraternity
of the streets,’ in this case called crews…Steve becomes
that bridge to tell the stories, document the art, and present an
analysis of the growth and development of the art form.
---James Prigoff, from the Foreword
“Graffiti culture is a fascinating world…Who would
have thought that when this form of graffiti began more than thirty
years ago, it would develop into the international phenomenon it
has become….’
---Steve Grody
About the Authors:
Steve Grody saw spray can art begin to appear around Los Angeles
streets and walls in the 1980s and immediate recognized its creativity
and verve. Since 1990, he has been driving across Los Angeles searching
its back alleys, washes, and abandoned lofts for this vernacular
art.
James Prigoff coauthored the best-selling Spraycan Art in 1987.
He lectures and writes extensively on graffiti art.
GRAFFITI L.A.:
Street Styles and Art
By Steve Grody, Foreword by James Prigoff
May 2007, Abrams; $35.00, ISBN 978-0-8109-9298-6
More than 900 color photos, one full-color map
304 pages, 8 1⁄2 x 9 1⁄4,” hardcover
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