Aerosol Academics

F.O.K.U.S. presents “Aerosol Academics,” a free visual arts show and artists discussion that will take place on October 17th, 2009 at Solefood NYC from 7pm until 11pm.

This show features graffiti writers from the ‘80s and ‘90s, namely Crane TMT; Ink 76 Bad inc; Part TDS; Priz TSF; Ree 2 MTA; Sonic 002 Bad inc and Stan-One TSF, many of whom have been featured in the PBS Documentary “Style Wars” and the classic book “Subway Art” by Martha Cooper and Henry Chalfant; two widely regard looks at the graffiti culture.

“Aerosol Academics” will give the audience a first-hand look at the art from and provide an interactive discussion with the artists to learn about their start and evolution in the art from of graffiti.

Ink 76 BAD INC
INK’s dedication to writing spans many generations. During the 1970s he was active with crews like the No Comp Boys and The Master Blasters. INK 76 often wrote under the alias IY 189. His IY 189 throw ups and tags could be seen on all three subway divisions. INK is also one of the most committed members of the crew BAD Inc. (Boys are Down). He has assisted in the creation on many paintings with partner SONIC 002.

Part TDS
TDS was one of the most significant and influential style crews graffiti has ever seen. Their work was mainly seen on the Broadway number 1 line and the 2 and 5 lines. The peak TDS years were late ’70s to early ’80s. Unfortunately most of the major books and publications overlooked the significance of TDS. The fact that TDS was neglected is quite ironic considering the fact that some of the biggest names in writing were affiliated with it. Hard core members being MR. JINX 174, PART 1, KOOL 131, CHAIN 3, NOC 167, PADRE, PESO, BEAR 167. Other writers to put it up were NIKE, KF 174, MOON 77, REPEL, DONDI, BAN2, FUZZ 1,EZO FLITE, A ONE, SKEME, SLAVE, CASE 2, TEAN 5, KADE 198, MAGOO, ZEPHYR, DAZE, DEZ, JOEY, TOXIC, SCORCH 170, DELTA 2, TORCH and COSE.

TDS was a crew concerned more with style rather than bombing. (Despite that fact they bombed anyway.) Their style contributions to the culture are significant and have been somewhat overlooked as is the case with many style masters. This is due to three factors. One, the natural abstractions of wild style make names illegible to the uneducated eye, therefore the media and general public cannot determine the origin of the work. The second factor being style masters generally write many different names to demonstrate their ability to create a broad range of letter forms. It can be difficult for the writing community to keep up with all the names. The final being, style masters give outlines to other writers, many of which take credit for the style master’s work.

Priz TSF
Priz TSF started “solo-bombing” above ground in the late 70’s as a novice street writer. By the 1980’s, he was tagging subway train exterior panels and the IRT Broadway No. 1 line. Influenced by letter flow movement and arrow connections, PRIZ TSF whose name is based on the Prima Font, describes his style as “old school.” He continues to paint legally commissioned murals throughout the five boroughs along side long-time friend and partner STAN-ONE TSF, the current and long time President of The Spanish Five graffiti crew.

Ree 2 MTA
MTA was a crew from the Tremont section of the Bronx founded by CHINO MALO. The MTA crew’s peak activity was during 1978 and 1979. They mainly hit the 2s and 5s. They produced many burner whole cars with members they had in common with the TMT crew. REE aka OPEL, was granted MTA leadership after CHINO MALO became less active. REE did many colorful top to bottom whole cars rivaling LEE and BLADE. Partial listing of MTA members: CHINO MALO, REE, BEST, TYBU 2, TAG, RADAR, 2 SWIFT, CRANE, TEAN, KADE, VINE

Sonic 002 BAD INC
BAD Inc. was formed by a writer from Far Rockaway, Queens named SONIC 002 and his friend INK 76. JOE 61 and INK 76 aka IY 189 were prolific members of BAD. BAD’s initial efforts were on the As and Cs. BAD Inc. wasn’t satisfied hitting locally so they expanded to Js, Ms, 2s and 5s. The peak period of activity for this crew was the late ’70s and early ’80s.

SONIC didn’t let his geographic isolation impede his development as an artist. In fact it worked to his benefit. Without the constant exposure to classic IRT works he developed a style uniquely his own. Folding letters with IND influence and enough energy and movement to hold their own on the IRT. A classic example of his work is seen in the Chalfant/Cooper classic Subway Art. His work along with JOE 61 can also be seen the film Style Wars.

STAN-ONE
STAN-ONE TSF tagged and painted walls, subway cars and stations on the Broadway IRT No. 1 line in 1979. By the 80’s, he was President of The Spanish Five graffiti crew, also known as TSF/TS5. STAN-ONE TSF, whose name originates from former WWF wrestler “Stan The Man,” disappeared from the graffiti scene in the late 80’s until PRIZ TSF brought him out of retirement in 2001.

http://www.onefokus.org/