Review: Graffiti and Street Art by Anna Waclawek

Graffiti and Street Art by Anna Waclawek

This new book is special because it is part of the world of art series by thames and hudson - which includes the subject in the canon of world art. A welcome new addition. Also this book will be used as a textbook across the world. Im not sure if i agree with her use of the term post-graffiti - seems to neglect the creation of this term about 1982 by galleries seeking to distance themselves from illegal graff like street art was in more recent times. One of the oldest uses of the term street art i have seen is from a 1970s book of punk posters from the usa. Also the grouping of graff with hiphop and breakdancing was made by photographers like henry chaufant not by artists and is seldom mentioned. Despite these problems it is a fine book with many excellent images worth it for the price alone. There is an excellent bibliography for students and the text is good for laymen.

Review: City of Women - Chreistine de Pizan

City of Women - Chreistine de Pizan

Ive been a bit slow of late so im gonna inflict my medieval lit on you all.

Christine de Pizan (1363 – c. 1430) was a pioneering women writer and this book is an attack on the woman hating mostly male world of literature. Christine’s narrative is divided ito several parts - each a symbolic part of the construction of a metaphorical city of the best women, built to defend itself from constant attack on women most male writers engaged in. The first section explores what these men had written and her reversing the supposed flaws into virtues (a specific form of poetic rhetoric). The next sections explore stories of virtuos and heroic women who disprove many of these accusations. These sections and elegant arguements are probably the best. The last section deals with christian women martyrs who were tortured but were saved by angels and other suopernatural helpers. Such stories were common in early christian thought and used as proof to convert the miracle hungry and ignorant of the late roman empire. I had to gag at the horrible torture and the obvious untruth in this section - but it is still an interesting take on retro christian beliefs. All be told a readable book and an important early step in the war against bashing the achievements and virtues of women.

Probably make a good school text.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christine_de_Pizan

Review: Star Wars - Ewok Agenda

Star Wars - Ewok Agenda - Christopher Tamm

This is probably the poorest science fiction novel ever written - the writer does not have the most basic grasp of gungan society or what it is like to be a black man kept down by the empire. His portrayal of Akbar as a paranoid alcoholic was hopless and the scene where lando sells ewoks as sex slaves to the sith was amoral and appalling. Still all things considered its about average for a starwars novel. A fully animated cgi version is to be forthcoming.

Actually im gonna put a few fake reviews in here from time to time for the hell of it.

Review: Street Art by Johannes Stahl

Street Art - Johannes Stahl

This little book is a gem. Affordable, dense and authorative. It asks the right questions. It has one of the best histories of graffiti ive found yet. With images of napoleon and artist granville tagging walls of yesteryear. Wonderful mini essays on how tagging was part of your european tour in the tourism crazes of the 1800s.

It adresses the origins, the contradictions and evolution of street art. Even a bit on technique.

I wish id had this writing my thesis. It mislabels marvel comics howard the duck as a grimy donald duck like other books on street art but they all get something wrong ducumenting ephemera and fashion.

Get this little cracker of a book - one of the best.

Review: Louder Than Words

Louder Than Words - Jill Posener

From 1986 this is a collection of mostly feminist and political street graffiti from australia and the uk.There is some humour but unlike the back of the book i dont think constant cries to kill men and castrate them to be “funny, uplifting and encouraging”. There is a good collection of billboard modification and even some vintage stencil art (which i have seen as early as 70s). There are quotes by writers of this style of graffiti possibly by someones mum from melbourne and sydney and london. Plenty of bicycle and vegan graffiti too if that floats your boat. Even though i get pissed of by threats to mutilate me it is still in interesting and usefulk historical document.

Ill post a picture later

heres the authors site with mention of at least one more such compilation from pandora press: http://www.jillposener.com/work.cfm

Review: Written in the city

Written in the city - graffiti messages world wide - axel albin & josh kamler

This book is interesting because it focuses on the random rant graffiti - stuff with text over style and content over form. There is some attractive work here also. Plenty of poiniant, witty and strange here to see. Sometimes it goes a bit off track but its all interesting and part of the eclectic point of this work.

A better byline might have been from the inside front cover - someone is trying to tell you something. Mostly messsages - less about branding and ego and aesthetics. There is a fair amount of stenciling as it often marries this kind of content with art - with banksy being the best example.

A needed book on a neglected field of graffiti. Possibly more true to the spirit of literate peoples urban graffiti through all history, before trains names and being cool and successful became part of the package.

Review: Nigel Rees Graffiti Books

Graffiti - vol1-4 nigel rees

In the late seventies graffiti was mostly abuse, political, crazy rants, a few names and if you were lucky some humour. Nigel Rees has edited numerous wordy books on phzazes, proverbs, witty and other werd nerd references. Catalogues of graffiti wit have been made since hurlo-Thrumbo 1731 who catalogued toilet graffiti or Tour of Dr Syntax in search of the pittoresque1812. Alter egos were usesd because lots of this graffiti had political content. I dare say some lost roman writer did the same - certainly some classical writers mention this kind of graffiti.

Anyway this compilation reminds me of when witt not art counted on the streets and vandalism was probably mostly bad not beautiful. without any content insider signs or skill. Adelaide seemed to be getting very little of this work while melbourne and sydney crawl with it still in many suburbs.

These books are pretty funny and have nice political bite. Some are presented with original hand writing. there are a smatering of cartoons about graffiti to that reveal attitudes of the day and how some things have not changed. The books were a huge international successand had many imitators - including an australian rip off series which stole much of its content from the rees series. Available still online and in country holiday town second hand shops.

I dare say as a 70s toilet wall scribbler these books were an influence.