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RAC looks to the street for graffati exhibit
(by Kara Krekeler - July 09, 2008)
As long as there have been walls, there have been people defacing them. Prehistorians refer to the earliest wall drawings as cave paintings or etchings, but really those drawings and scribbles are simply the earliest form of graffiti.
While graffiti has long been considered a form of vandalism — even in those early days — these days it is coming into its own as a legitimate art form, with galleries around the world displaying paintings and murals. And on July 11, the gallery at the Regional Arts Commission will become the next gallery to welcome graffiti art onto its walls with Screwed In, an exhibit featuring the work of seven local graffiti-inspired artists.
“Screwed In aims to advance the discussion of and recognition of the things that define St. Louis, both art related and non-art related,” said Bryan Walsh, curator and participating artist in the exhibit. “As an art form, graffiti or street art is a constantly changing and evolving entity. We are at a point locally where we have recently seen the number of graffiti writers — but not necessarily the amount, or quality, of graffiti — increase.”
In addition to Walsh’s own work, Screwed In features individual pieces by artists Chris Burch, Stan Chisholm, David Langley, Chris Sabatino, Justin Tolentino (who curated the exhibit with Walsh) and Peat Wollaeger. Walsh said that those involved in the show are all friends of his and Tolentino’s, as well as talented artists who are working locally and nationally to draw attention to the high quality of art that is being produced in St. Louis. Wollaeger, for example, began his artistic career creating designs for big-name clients, including Coca-Cola, Mars and Anheuser-Busch, and more recently had his work displayed on Mountain Dew bottles.
But the centerpiece of the exhibit is a huge collaborative mural that covers all three walls of the gallery. At press time, the mural was still being created on-site on 4-by-8-foot pieces of luaun that have been screwed into the gallery’s walls, thus giving the exhibition its name.
Walsh said that plans for the mural had been outlined prior to the luaun installation on July 1, but he emphasized that many of the details came together only as the mural has been painted. The process is “somewhat of a balance between improvisation and planning through observation and conversation,” he said, adding that each artist would likely bring his own interpretation of “screwed in” to the mural.
He said that he and Tolentino knew since they first proposed the project a year and a half ago that they wanted to incorporate a collaborative element that would showcase the different styles and thought processes of the artists, who use a variety of media, including acrylic, oil, enamel and latex paint, spray-paint stencils, airbrush and wheat pastes.
Walsh and Tolentino’s proposal was immediately well received by RAC, which tries to reach out to as many sectors of the local population as possible in its programming.
“Graffiti art has grown into a serious art form. It plays an important role in the art world and in the community in St. Louis,” said Saskya Byron, gallery director for RAC. “Since we’re invested with the community, it’s important that we represent this as well.”
Walsh said that depending on the success of this show, he’d like to take the exhibit to other galleries across the country, in part to continue the evolution of graffiti art as a legitimate art form, but also to show off what St. Louis-based artists are capable of.
“If the opening and show is deemed successful, our intention is to approach other galleries in Chicago, Kansas City and others with a proposal of displaying the installation and exhibition in their space in an effort to bring attention to the talent and energy coming out of St. Louis,” he said.
Screwed In opens with a reception from 6 to 9 p.m. July 11 at The Gallery at the Regional Arts Commission, 6128 Delmar Blvd. The opening also features break-dance performances and music by DJ Mahf and DJ Expo. The exhibit continues through Aug. 17.
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