Original stencil work by street artist COCO 144
Over a decade before Henry Chalfant's seminal 1982 documentary Style Wars introduced New York City's subway art explosion to the rest of the world, a tiny group of young writers, including a 14-year-old who called himself COCO 144, started the entire movement by hitting the IRT's Broadway line. This first school of aerosol artists, who focused on tagging their names on the iron horse so that it could travel to other neighborhoods, laid the blueprint for all facets of the culture, from Futura and Haring to Bansky. Sadly, some of the most dedicated hip-hop historians don't even know their names. Thankfully, the legends of aerosol culture do.
On Wednesday of this week, COCO 144 celebrates 40 years in the game with the unveiling of a new exhibit at Bard College. He will be at the reception this Wednesday to answer questions about his work, and if you are at all interested in the early days of subway art and the origins of graffiti, this exhibit is a must. Hit the jump to read about this influential artist and for full details regarding the upcoming show...
Words by Bobbito Garcia
New works by COCO 144, on show starting Wednesday, February 24th at Bard College
Over a decade before Henry Chalfant's seminal 1982 documentary Style Wars introduced New York City's subway art explosion to the rest of the world, a tiny group of young writers, including a 14-year-old who called himself COCO 144, started the entire movement by hitting the IRT's Broadway line. This first school of aerosol artists, who focused on tagging their names on the iron horse so that it could travel to other neighborhoods, laid the blueprint for all facets of the culture, from Futura and Haring to Bansky. Sadly, some of the most dedicated hip-hop historians don't even know their names. Thankfully, the legends of aerosol culture do.
Check COCO 144's website to learn more, and be sure to make it to Bard College for the show.
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