CITY OF KINGS: A History of New York City Graffiti

Viviane Faver

The exhibition “City of Kings: A History of Graffiti in New York” opened, filled with information curated and researched by graffiti artist Al Diaz, art educator Mariah Fox, and graffiti artist/archivist Eric ‘DEAL CIA’ Felisbret. The exhibition will run until January 29 at Howl! Arts/Howl! on 250 Bowery Second Floor, New York

 Organized as a timeline that traces the evolution of the practice from 1969 to the present, the narrative is based on the stories of New York graffiti artists who understood graffiti as a form of written expression. Many became legends and were present at the exhibition’s opening.

 Central to the exhibition is the visual representation of how and from where graffiti evolved to represent the flow of ideas and inspiration between artists and crews. 

The timeline also contextualizes the graffiti movement by referencing critical historical events such as the famous clubs of the 1980s, street gang activity, the financial decline of New York City, and the mayor’s efforts at the time to “clean up” the city.

The exhibition features contributions from dozens of world-renowned graffiti artists, photographers, collectors, and archivists. The exhibition includes photographs, videos, and audio recordings, some from personal archives.

Public programs and a series of panel discussions will enhance themes and periods that have evolved over time, addressing topics such as the movement’s roots, the evolution of graffiti styles, and social and cultural practices.

In a special interview for the New York Beacon, two legends of New York graffiti, COCO144, and SNAKE1, tell how they began to graffiti in the extravagant context of 1970s New York, saturated with political and cultural contradictions. These two writers experienced the beginning of this artistic movement and played instrumental roles in its nascence and expansion.

Roberto Gualtieri, better known as COCO 144, grew up on 144th Street in Upper West Harlem and began writing in high school in 1968. Known in New York City in the early 1970’s he is arguably the first graffiti artist to use stencils to raise his name. He was among the first generation of writers to make the transition from writing on walls to the New York City subway. Coco was considered the most highly regarded in the city between 1970-1972 and helped found United Graffiti Artists (UGA) in 1973 as the group’s first president.

New York Beacon – You were there at the beginning of it all. How do you see the emergence of graffiti?

COCO 144 – “Graffiti” was the term the media gave to the subway writing culture. My contemporaries and I considered ourselves, and still consider ourselves, “writers.” I am fortunate to be in the only class of first-generation New York Subway “writers” (late 1969-1972). It gets tricky because some people need help with the terminology.

I feel that the word “graffiti” materialized in everything that was political and social at the time. We were kids, growing up into teenagers and young men in a big, diverse, fast-growing city during the Vietnam War, the Black Panthers, the Young Lords, riots, riots, the rise of the hippie movement, Jazz, Rock, R&B, and Latin music…everything!

New York Beacon – How did you choose your graffiti artist’s name?

Coco 144 –  My name was given to me when I was three months old by my mother and aunt as a term of endearment, and number 144 is the street in Harlem where I grew up.

New York Beacon –  When did you go out on the street for the first time?

COCO144 – I started writing in my neighborhood, Harlem, in late 1969. I started painting and putting my name on the subway from 1970 to 1972.

New York Beacon – Why did you start writing?

Coco 144 – Everyone had their own reason. For me, writing was an outlet I used to express who I was and where I was from. It was fun, you met other writers from other areas of town, and we would all go out and write together. Personally, I loved the adrenaline rush I felt when I broke the law, leaving my mark on public property.

New York Beacon – Why do you think this movement spread around the world?

COCO 144 – I feel strongly that the writing movement was one of those things that was meant to happen. No matter how often you try to analyze it, you will always come to the same conclusion – that individuals simply need to express themselves. I believe that the movement has spread worldwide because everyone can understand and feel this need to express themselves. Writing our names was the medium we used, and it’s an incredibly powerful way of communicating that everyone, regardless of where you’re from and what language you speak, can understand.

New York Beacon –  What inspired you to do this?

Coco 144: Many things inspired me. However, the main inspirations came from the conscious and unconscious influences I had as a child in the 1960s and 1970s, including many of the social and political changes that were taking place. Inspiration also came from the gratification I felt in reinventing myself by finding new ways to write my name.

New York Beacon –  Who are your favorite writers of all time?

Coco 144: Oh God. . . . there are many! TAKI183, JOE182 from Heights, PHASE 2, LEE 163 from Bronx. MICO, FLINT707 from Brooklyn. . . . just too many to mention. Every writer who has destroyed the system to date is my favorite.

New York Beacon – What inspires you today?

Coco 144: Life inspires me. Being blessed with a wonderful family and wonderful friends and meeting people who love and respect what I have done and continue to do inspires me.

New York Beacon – In your opinion, what is the role of graffiti in society?

COCO 144 – Graffiti in society is a global social and political alert. Writing culture is about creating a dialogue about what is happening around us, whether we like it or not.

New York Beacon –  Could you quickly compare the graffiti era with the current style of graffiti?

Coco 144- Graffiti styles have changed in the sense that, first of all, we now live in different times. In the early 1970’s, there were many more areas to write your name, whereas now, the walls are all covered. In the early days, there was a degree of respect for not overstepping someone else’s work. Today people are painting over each other. I like the fact that today’s writers are determined to make their mark by any means necessary.

New York Beacon – Do you have any final words?

Coco 144 – First-generation writers like myself must engage in meaningful conversations with new and upcoming writers. Most importantly, I want to share my knowledge about the culture of writing to ensure that this important story is never changed, rewritten, erased, or forgotten.

Another legend is Eddie Rodriguez, better known as SNAKE 188, who has recently had several exhibitions worldwide. SNAKE was a Washington Heights ‘writer’ and one of the founders of WRITERS CORNER 188, where writers would meet up, tag, and listen to music. He add ‘W.C. 188’ to his name on walls, buses, and subway trains and later become crew vice president.

He started graffiti around 1970 when he noticed the names of other artists like TAKE 183, PHILT Greek, JOE 182. “So I decided to join in the fun. I marked mailboxes, light poles, inside train cars and buses. My favorite places to paint where the buses parked behind George Washington High School when the drivers were off duty.”

He adopted his graffiti name after drag racing hero Don Prudhomme aka The Snake. “Nowadays, I also paint from canvas.”

He claims that graphite is still going strong. “All over the world, we can see murals created by all ages and nationalities. The difference is that in my days, graffiti was illegal, and today, we have legal walls.”

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