Back For Spring: Old-School Tags
With all apologies to the business owners whose walls have been hit, I know I'm not the only one getting a kick out of the resurgence of '70's-style graffiti gracing our ‘hoods. The monikers Hip Harold, Croatoa, Tom Cruise and a quirky, polka-dotted angel have been showing up on walls, trash cans and alleyways all over midtown and Westport.
The simple style and flat-black spray paint used in the tags give them a frank and ironic undertone, and the pop-culture references speak to our sugary cravings for celebrity news.
The tags also scream “art school kids.” According to the graffiti artist formerly known as Matic, students from the Kansas City Art Institute spill onto the streets as soon as it’s warm. Fueled by cheap beer and pent-up creative energy, they try their hand at graffiti every summer. He knows the KCAI has a hand in it, he says, because he’s seen the tags inside kids’ apartments during art school parties.
“I think it’s hilarious,” Matic says of the adventurous Tom Cruise tag, which appeared recently on a billboard high over Westport, among other places. “I think it’s just some art kid trying to make a name for himself, trying to be funny.”
On the other hand, the new graffiti writers lack skill, Matic says. “It’s not the type of graffiti I like. It seems they’re taking it back to the old school, but it’s pretty wack.”
As for the tagged angel, Matic says, “I hope it’s a girl, trying to do graffiti. If that’s a dude, that’s not cool at all. He needs to stop before he gets beat up.” -- Nadia Pflaum
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