From the Bronx to the Bowery
/The evolution of graffiti from the underground and streets, and to many a sign of urban decay, to an increasingly popular art form worldwide, is a major topic on our street art tours. All over the boroughs of New York City, you see amazing works on the street by adults who started out in their youths writing on the walls and trains of the city. They made a passion into a flourishing art career.
A great example is Tats Cru, the best known graffiti crew/collective from the Bronx, where graffiti was born. They recently completed the newest mural on the infamous Bowery Mural, a spot whose fame as the city’s top mural wall dates back to the early 1980s (see image at bottom for the finished piece, plus in progress shots, I took). Like many street artists, they even now have their own website where you can see their work, and contact them for commissioned work.
You can see several of the Tats Cru artists talking near the beginning of the video, at the following link, the first part in a fascinating recent documentary series about the origins and evolution of graffiti. Well worth watching.
