Drax and Robbo Wanted 4 Tagging Iraqi Frontline

Nato, Allied Forces & Iraqi Law Enforcement Agencies were last night on the hunt for London graffiti writers Drax and Robbo. The writers were last seen tagging this wall in enemy territory and photographed by an 'enemy of the state'. A friend of a friend of the writers, another anonymous graffiti writer told us 'Drax and Robbo wanted to take it to the next level. They been painting for 25 years and really needed another challenge to end all challenges. Especially Robbo he's a family man, been out the loop for a few years. Well at least till Banksy buffed that classic piece in Camden, brought old Robbo out of retirement'.

Another anonymous graffiti artist said 'they got the paint, uniforms and weapons from another Iraqi graffiti writer they met on the internet. He did some commissions for American soldiers and got the kit from them.' The Iraqi graffiti artist who at present appears to have kept his name from the media but still has managed to broadcast messages over the internet urging 'graffiti writers from around the world come to Iraq. We have lots of paint and hundreds of very high profile blank canvases. We can get you in and out without security hazards. We writers in Iraq respect all writers, but please, we guarantee unique experience, everybody gets to go home'

Nato Forces are on high alert and publicly announced 'they cannot guarantee the safety of vandals wishing to enter Iraq and vandalise property'. A high ranking official said 'Anyone acting suspicious in the enemy zones will be shot on sight and individuals choosing to wear combat fatigues risk arrest and imprisonment'.

Graffiti message forums around the globe have been buzzing with the news. It's been said that over 250 graffiti writers are currently on route to Iraq. Governments on all boarders are urging the writers to stay away from the war zones but the writers themselves argue that 'if Drax and Robbo can get away it we're gonna try our luck. We're not traitors its about getting your name up in a high profile spot. Its always been about that'.

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Subway Art: 25th Anniversary Edition Book - Buy Here

There is no debating that the original printing of Subway Art , globalized the graffiti movement , giving our friends across the pond a detailed blueprint for letter forms, fresh from NYC's subway lines. In 2009 , there are a plethora of European spray paint companies catering to graffiti with an array of colors named after prominent artists in the culture. The period chronicled in this book (early 80's) is the most well-documented and some of the pieces are breath-takingly beautiful. The photography of Cooper, a pro and Chalfant , an amateur indistinguishable from a pro, show that two distinct styles can indeed co-exist with one another, despite Cap's words to the contrary. (Inside joke!)

The portraits of people are perhaps the strongest of the added material not included in the original version. Full page photos of Kase 2 with a menacing stare, a young Duster and Lizzie and a bat-wielding Dezzy Dez patrolling the 3 yard capture the era magnificently.  Several artists got added play in this new version of the old book and for the most it was the usual suspects (people who were down with Henry and Martha), giving a few of them a disproportionate amount of exposure versus their impact on this culture- a minor flaw, an oblivious public won't care about.

The book is physically huge and there are fold-outs of whole cars . Mitch 77 gets some long overdue love, as does one of the unsung heroes of the peace-loving , Central park bandshell- based version of RTW--RASTA.

Martha Cooper once ventured into the Esplanade Tunnel lay-up with Cap, Seen and myself to shoot action shots of a whole car in 1982. Damn! A quarter century went by fast.
She had huge stones to venture into the tunnel during that time period and although I don't endorse her Hip-Hop version of graff, I give her a lot of respect for that. Henry Chalfant has always been a class act and friend to the movement. If the old version of this book is considered "The Graff Bible", then this is definitely The New Testament.

Watchmen World Premiere - Graffiti Timelapse

Painted by Busk,Bleach,Zadok & Probs...

This 5 minute timelapse video was made for the Watchmen film world premiere at the Odeon in Leicester Square.Painted over 4 days,the artists had to paint on piece a day,then re-paint over it the next day.
The timelapse was shown on the big screen at the front of the Odeon for the premiere & was shown on a loop for 40 minutes inside the cinema before the Watchmen film started...

Busk, Bleach & Zadok - Legit Work November 2009

Legit Work...

Old Skool Graffiti Artists Busk, Zadok and Bleach were commissioned to paint this wall in West London. Its taken about three weeks to create freehand so the lads were happy to finish the project and move up plans for their next projects. Full interviews with the lads coming up in LSD along with a series of shots from my time with the lads...

Bleach: http://www.3lsewhere.net
http://www.londonstreetartdesign.com

PS: Renowned street artist T.wat came down and took some shots, thats him in the green jacket shooting the wall