APEX ON TAGGING

One of the most informative and interesting interviews on tagging we've ever seen.

From Whitewalls

APEX gives a great interview on hand style for The Infamous magazine issue #4 in this video produced by Montana Colors. APEX started writing in third grade, and he’s not just seen, but he’s been a part of what makes San Francisco hand styles. The city’s style, he explains, is based on buses, on speed, the ability to tag quick but make it look good before a driver could notice. Part of this bus hopping style is the one flow- getting writing down without letting up on the paint can or the marker.

APEX mentions when he first saw Downtown style come around- a cleaner, more legible script, marking a distinction between bus hopping and bombing. While speed is always a pressing issue with tagging, he notes that the determining factor of whether a hand style is “dope” or not is if all the letters are uniform; if a kid doesn’t understand the style he’s trying to throw up, or rushes through a stylistic element like a flare, it’s not going to look good. APEX clearly understands and respects the traditional hand style of San Francisco. Without writing, tagging, bombing, he says, he wouldn’t have picked up the can control he has now, and he wouldn’t have been able to start his superburner series.

Watch the video for more of APEX’s thoughts on hands and catch his current show Indigo at White Walls, showing until June 4th!

Tagging Bubble Letters 2010

Tagging Bubble Letters 2010. Via : Printable Bubble Letters

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EVOLUTION OF TAGGING

Barry McGee Feature from The Creative Lives on Vimeo.

"Høyre" leaders will stop tagging

One of the most influential artists of his generation Barry McGee aka twist was recently commissioned to create a mural on New York's Houston & Bowery wall. This iconic NYC wall, which over recent times has seen Keith Haring reproduced, work from Brazillian twins Os Gemeos and of course the much discussed and tagged piece from Shepard Fairey, was covered top to bottom by McGee and assistant Amaze in a wild array of bright red tags.

Although we've published news on this work before, we thought that those supporting the "Zero Tolerance" debate currently raging in Stavanger and the closure of the city's legal graffiti walls at Geoparken, could do with a little education. Unsurprisingly the "Høyre/Right" party managed to include the word "Knives" and "Possible" damage to cars in the area, in a typical attempt to instill fear and violence into a debate about whether kids in the region should be able to freely engage in art.

We hope the photos above help to illustrate how "tagging" in NYC of the 1970's and it's subsequent association with crime, race and violence by right wing political parties.. has somewhat evolved. Høyre please take notice.