LEGENDS

TAKI 183

     Some call him the godfather of modern graffiti. TAKI 183 is one of the most influential graffiti writers. His "tag" was short for Demetaki, a Greek alternative for his birth-name Demetrius, and the number 183 came from his address on 183rd Street.

Zepher

     Zepher is a graffiti artist, lecturer and author from New York City. He began creating graffiti in 1975 and first signed using the name "Zephyr" in 1977. He has been identified as a graffiti "elder", who along with PHASE 2 and TAKI 183 have invented styles and standards "that continue to be used and expanded upon today". He was also part of the first wave of graffiti artists to make the transition to galleries, collectors and commercial work. In the early 80s, he showed at NYC galleries specialized in graffiti.



PHASE 2

      He was another and well known New York City graffiti artists. Mostly active in the 1970s, Phase 2 is generally credited with originating the "bubble letter" style of graffiti writing, also known as "softies". He was also influential in the early hip-hop scene. He began writing in late 1971 under the name Phase 2, Part of the appeal of graffiti writing for Phase 2 was that it allowed him to get his "name" known yet remain anonymous. He noted later that tagging provided disadvantaged urban teens "the only significant vehicle to represent their 'existence.'" It was in late 1972 that Phase 2 first used an early version of the "bubble letter" or "softie", a style of graffiti writing, which would become extremely influential and is considered a "giant leap" in the art form. The puffed-out, marshmallow-like letters drawn by Phase 2 were soon copied by other artists who added their own variations. He is also credited with pioneering the use of arrows in graf writing around this same time. In 1974 Phase 2 joined the newly created United Graffiti Artists, a professional graffiti collective that began to attract media attention which appeared in New York magazine and inspired a new generation of graffiti artists. In the 1980s, Phase 2 began publishing International Graffiti Times, the first zine about graffiti writing.

COPE 2

     COPE 2 is a famous graffiti artist from the South Bronx, New York. He has been writing graffiti since 1978-79, and has gained international credit for his work. Though he is now known worldwide, he didn't receive recognition in the mainstream graffiti world until the mid 1990's. Cope2 has achieved considerable mainstream success for his artwork and has collaborated and released many projects alongside such names as Adidas and Time Magazine. Also in 2005, Time Magazine commissioned Cope2, for $20,000, to paint a billboard ad in the SoHo district of Manhattan, New York on Houston and Wooster. The ad depicts the magazines cover with graffiti tags scrawled over it; the text reads "Post-Modernism? Neo-Expressionism? Just Vandalism? Time. Know Why".