Graffiti of the past is making its way back onto the streets of New York City, but this time with a message. The message is to spread the awareness of graffiti as a real form of art, as well as to give inspiration to struggling teens about their culturally-strong history. This project is the work of a group of graffiti artists who call themselves “Slavery”, and it is appropriately named “Subway Art History”. The main focus of the project is to revive the graffiti of the 80s, with a new creative interpretation. For example, a famous work of art graffitied on a the No. 6 train car in 1980 was that of “Hand of Doom”- the title of a Black Sabbath song and an ominous and extremely creepy message to those who encountered it. 
The piece has been recreated (this time legally) to read “Joan of Arc”, and rather than a hooded executioner with a time bomb, the image of the martyr is portrayed. 
Various other pieces of art have also been remade or have been altered, for instance, a piece graffitied to the wall of a coffee shop has been altered from “Dondi” to “Ghandi”. This area of art has been dominated by the competition of artists to become greater and more well-known than their competitors, that it has lost its originality in recent years. This project also seeks to break away from the constant competition and pay homage to those who were dedicated to the quality of their work.
Although a common topic as far as the arts in NYC are concerned, I found this to be extremely interesting and a worthwhile read. Check out the article for yourself.
