Bad Monkey's Urban Asylum

Graffiti With a Message

2009-08-21T08:54:00.009-04:00

I know that Bad Monkey Designs is all about the entire graffiti movement. However, looking at our collection, one can see a certain lean toward a particular style. While the Wild Style murals of this urban art form are truly amazing. I've always had particular interest in the stencils, stickers (or, slaptags) and scrawlings of those artists that have a message.

Take, for instance, a recent series of messages painted throughout New Jersey's Hudson County. This unknown artist has taken to quoting Bob Dylan and obscure foreign films. Some of his more prolific include, "Your Days of Plenty are Numbered" and "Dear Hoboken, don't follow leaders, watch your parking meters". While cryptic, it also gives one cause to stop, think and interpret the real meaning of the message - question authority? stick it to the man? wake up, people? No one is quite sure and this, for me, is the appeal. You can read more at the Cliffview Pilot website.

After reading the article from the Cliffview, I was reminded of other taggers that have been responsible for these "campaigns of thought". Borf was a graffiti movement started in 2004 in Washington, D.C. by art student John Tsombikos. It is said that his series of tags were inspired by the suicide of a very close friend. The "Borf Brigade" later claimed that "capitalism and the culture of aesthetics created the alienation and feelings of worthlessness that caused the 16-year-old to commit suicide" Phrases and murals with tags like "Grown Ups are Obsolete" and "Borf Writes Letter to Your Children" were seen everywhere in the D.C. area for almost two years.

It's artists such as these that have become part of the core inspiration to Bad Monkey Designs' collection of graffiti inspired urban wear. Creative minds like Borf and others before him make the average passer-by stop and think. While most people look at graffiti artists as vandals, there are others that see many as talented minds and "urban prophets". For those that question, just look at how different graffiti styles have become more and more mainstream. The Obey campaign, started by Shepard Fairey has become one of the most popular (and commercially successful) urban art "exhibits" while the works of Bansky have sold for tens of thousands of dollars all over the world.

Whether commercially successful or not, all of these taggers started with one common goal - to make people think....to make people question....to make people wake up. These artisits, and others like them, continue to inspire me and thousands of others. So, while communities continue to "battle graffiti" there will always be an underground movement that believe "Art is Not a Crime".

Reissued ‘Subway Art’ is still moving - The Boston Globe

2009-08-08T10:57:00.002-04:00

"Originally published in 1984, and re-released in a lavish, large-format, 25th anniversary edition, “Subway Art’’ is probably one of the most influential art books ever...."

This is an absolute must read for anyone who has an interest in urban art. Fantastic article in the Boston Globe. Be sure to check it out!

Reissued ‘Subway Art’ is still moving - The Boston Globe

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Tagging With Light!

2009-08-07T08:28:00.000-04:00

French designer Aissa Logerot's cool Halo light is for graffiti artists who want to use light and long-shutter photography instead of aerosol. Halo is shaped like a can of spraypaint, but features an LED light at the business end; the user can change the intensity and color of the light, and when it runs out of juice, there's a neat solution--shake the can vigorously to power up the battery.

Adidas New Graffiti Designs!

2007-03-12T10:48:00.000-04:00

Graffiti designs are to be applied to a raft of Adidas trainers and clothes following a project involving artists from across the globe.

The End-to-End project will be launched exclusively through sports retailer Footlocker next Monday. The seven artists, from the UK, France, Germany and the US, were given a warehouse, in London's Spitalfields, to work in last month.

They worked for three days on a series of pieces, which Adidas then took and transformed into footwear and clothing designs, which will also be showcased on a bus touring throughout Europe this month.

Last February, designer Peter Saville came up with some trainers for Adidas adorned with the results of his design brief.

My First Blog Post....How Exciting.

2007-02-18T13:37:00.000-05:00

Might as well kick off the blog with a nifty news article from the UK. This one's about how a couple of cleaners trashed a priceless piece of graffiti created by Bansky (more on him later).

Seriuosly, what were these dopes thinking? Goes to show you how people just assume that anything painted on wall that isn't an advertisement for jeans MUST be some form of vandalism. Wonder if the two chuckle-heads responsible will be making weekly or monthly payments....

Clean Sweep for Work of Art
COUNCIL cleaners were so keen to tidy up for the opening of a new square in Dalston that they removed artwork by graffiti king Banksy.

The street cleaners had been ordered to spruce up the area before the official opening of Gillett Square last November, but were so efficient that they wiped off two stencils by the celebrated artist.

One of his works sold for more than £100,000 at a Sotheby's auction just last week and he has a number of artworks scattered around the streets of Hackney.

The four-foot Banksy stencil of a girl wearing a frilly dress and a gas mask had been on the wall in Gillett Square for several years, but had been masked by plywood for several months.

It was uncovered by Hackney Co-operative Developments (HCD), the organisation responsible for re-developing the square, two days before the opening but washed off the day after, along with another Banksy work of a man's face.

Adam Hart, executive director of HCD, said: "With the launch coming we thought maybe it was time to unveil it and no sooner it was unveiled then it was promptly removed. We were somewhat dismayed and surprised. We just didn't expect it."

Gotta say, I was speechless when I found this one.

Bad Monkey Designs