Urban graffiti art emerged in New York during the tumultuous 1970’s as a way to express urban culture. When the art form began to gain popularity in the 1980’s fewer artists exhibited their street art and it became a less common sight around the city. In more recent years, the form has again started to pop up in urban areas, once more adding a little color to city surfaces.
Dominican street artists have been strongly influenced by their New York predecessors, which can be seen in the styles they adopt in their graffiti art. These graffiti crews do their own spin on the NY tradition to express their own sociopolitical views and cultural perspectives. (See examples below).
When Christopher Columbus encountered Hispañola in 1492 there were an estimated 100,000 Taino Indians occupying the island. By 1570 that number had dwindled down to 500 due to illness, harsh treatment by colonists and other factors. Now, hardly any signs remain of the once trusting, hospitable and beautiful people depicted in this example of graffiti art.
One of the most famous graffiti crews in DR, The BNA Crew, had its start in 1979 when a group of neighborhood friends began to hang out together. The group’s work can now be seen on many walls, buildings and other structures in Santo Domingo, Santiago and other cities around the country, but back then it hadn’t developed into what it is now.
Manuel Luis “Dr. Mol” de Jesús del Carmen’s style is clearly seen in much of the crew’s graffiti repertoire. Manuel had an interest in art starting from a young age. He began to cultivate that interest when he studied drawing and calligraphy in school. Later, he furthered his art studies in the National School of the Arts located in Santo Domingo and then got a degree in illustrative advertising. All through his years of traditional art education Emanuel continued to hang out with his original crew of friends and never forgot his first love, graffiti.
Gregory “Great One” de Oleo, a prolific DR graffitist, became acquainted with Emanuel around this time, 2004, and together they and they formed the crew Airflow, which primarily used airbrush techniques in their graffiti. By the time they included Anderson “Kocko” Pérez into the group they had developed other techniques and, therefore, in 2009 decided to change the group’s name to what it is currently known as: the BNA Crew.
The famous quote, “Art is not a mirror held up to reality, but a hammer with which to shape it”, by German poet Bertolt Brecht, accompanies this work by the artist known as Dr. Mol and the BNA Crew.
When Blen, the crew’s president, moved to Puerto Rico they started to gain fame for their artistic talent and social commentary. They have since become well-respected members and pillars of the Hip-Hop/Graffiti subculture community, appearing on T.V. and radio programs and traveling to Germany, England, Singapore, the U.S. and other countries around the world, leaving pictorial statements. In recent years, the crew has expanded its portfolio to include sponsoring new artists breaking into the Hard-Core Metal and Hip-Hop scene.
The tags from these and other artists (including KD, Seyer, KP, Tuto Time, CRZ and many others) are visible all along DR’s streets and structures. So, the next time you are walking or driving along, take a look around and remember a bit of this urban graffiti lore. You might see a tag you recognize and an interesting specimen of street art that you’ve never noticed before.
References:
Microsoft Encarta Premium Encyclopedia; Graffiti Art; 2009
Watchtower Library; Dominican Republic–Still Open to Discovery; Page 23; 1995
Facebook; Dominican Republic; BNA Graffiti Gallery; 2011
Random Ramblings and Wanderings 