Kids write graffiti* because it's fun. It is also an expression of the longing to be somebody in a world that is always reminding you that you're not. That being the case, it was not at all surprising that when the youth in other parts of the world became aware of what their counterparts in New York City had been up to for years, they were quick to try their hand at spraycan art. The network that once linked the "bombers," "crews," "kings," and "toys" from all the far-flung boroughs of New York City grew to encompass cities from Chicago and San Francisco to London,Paris,and Vienna and around the world to Auckland and Sydney. New York City is still the capital and cultural center of graffiti. It is like Mecca to those who worship atthe altar of style.

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The spraycan painting displayed with such exuberance in these pages derives directly from the graffiti-based 'writing' on the sides of New York's subway t 'ains that was so vividly celebrated in Martha Cooper and Henry Chalfant's hugely successful book Subway Art.

With its bold calligraphy and brilliant colouring, the style soon emerged from the subway on to walls, handball courts and other surfaces above ground, and ultimately into the galleries of art dealers and collectors. The Hip Hop explosion of the early eighties helped to spread the technique worldwide. It is no longer necessarily illed or antisocial:.it has become a part of mainstream art.

Henry Chalfant and James Prigoff have documented theevolution of spraycan art from its very beginnings, photographingthe artists in action as well as their finished works, and recordingtheir always., intriguing, and frequently surprisingly philosophical,comments. This selection of spectacular photographs andthought-provoking quotes-from more than twenty citiesscattered across three continents- will be widely appreciatedfor its social and cultural significance as well as for its strikingvisual appeal.

INTRODUCTION

GLOSSARY

UNITED STATES

New York City (Manhattan -The Bronx - Brooklyn-

Staten Island - Queens)- Philadelphia- Pittsburgh/Cleveland -

Chicago - San Francisco/Bay Area- Los Angeles

ENGLAND

London- Bristol- Wolverhampton

THE NETHERLANDS

Amsterdam- Eind hoven

FRANCE

Paris

SPAIN

Barcelona

GERMANY

Berlin- Bruhl

AUSTRIA

Vienna

DENMARK

Copenhagen

AUSTRALIA

Sydney

NEW ZEALAND

AuckLand

PUBLIC STATEMENTS

CREATION OF A MURAL