stephen conti - Graffiti

In the early 1990s, my involvement with graffiti was an exercise in public declaration and wise-ass defiance. The city, subway, school, and roller rink walls were a free canvas, demanding speed, style, and assertion. I focused on developing sharp, aggressive lettering—tags and throw-ups that served as immediate, high-impact branding..... Stickers came into play during college when i spent many late nights making love to those xerox machines, drinking, smoking, listening to music and plotting adventures

Graffiti was the visual counterpart to my era's raw, anti-establishment energy... fueld for me by punk rock, rap, and cars. It taught me the power of line weight, form economy, and claiming space. My work was a temporary, illegal architecture, a bold assertion of presence that helped define my aesthetic of urgency and graphic resistance..... Here are a few samples of graffiti pieces, tags, stickers, and projects over the years.