It was all smiles at the show. Austin, TX.
This weekend I hit up SprATX to catch the "Ground Up" photo show and I was met with a pleasant surprise upon arriving: a panel of graffiti artists discussing the history of graffiti and street art. The discussion covered graffiti culture as a whole, as well as the history of graff & street art in the city of Austin. Insightful, technical, and downright playful, SLOKE and friends enlightened the crowd with historical tidbits as well as fun stories of street adventures from their artistic careers.
Graffiti has been an inspiration for myself for quite some time and although many have referred to me as a graffiti artist whenever I am painting a wall, I am always quick to correct these people and inform them that I am not a graffiti artist; I have too much respect for the craft to don it's name when I do not live that lifestyle. It takes a special kind of person to live the graffiti life. I respect what these artists do with letters, walls, and sketchy illegalities. I love graffiti and I am thankful and fortunate for all the art that has graced the cities I've lived in. Over the years I have befriended many graffiti and street artists and have a ton of respect for what they do and what they have shown me over the years.
While the photo gallery was nice and featured art as far back as the 80's, the real party took place when the panel speakers were done and the floor opened up to a b-boy/b-girl cipher. It's always great to catch dancers in their element on the floor and this was my first intro to Austin b-boys & b-girls. It definitely reminded me of nights at Soul Spot in San Antonio and all the other shows I've been to over the years where sporadic sessions went down.
A clever jacket indeed.
S/O to SLOKE & SprATX for putting on a great show and panel. My time there ended with Apache playing through the speakers and echoing into the streets as I made my way to a nearby carnival.
Stay Grinding,
BLUE731.
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