keys to the kingdom

aaron rose's "beautiful losers" came last night, an excellent book of street art and essays about the intersection of art, punk, skateboarding, surfing, and graffiti scenes and diy subcultures (i think each essay contains the word "cross-pollination" at least three times). it includes the work of ND darlings like ryan mcginley, shepard fairey, and geoff mcfettridge.

it also contains the work of steve powers, known as ESPO, as in "exterior surface painting outreach". powers subverted the traditional understanding of graffiti by approaching it as an urban beautification project. he would paint over the security gates of urban storefronts or other previously marred surfaces, leaving a cleaner and more aesthetically pleasing facade.





of course, his "community service" project was still very illegal. a quick google search led me to this recent update via the nytimes: powers has won a fulbright to keep tagging! though powers never graduated from college, the fulbright committee bent the rules a little to honor his artistic vision. powers is currently traveling dublin and belfast to create public artwork with the help of teenagers from troubled housing projects.