How Futura 2000 Shaped New York Graffiti and Took It from the Subway to the World Stage
One of the most influential figures in graffiti and art, New York City’s Futura 2000 emerged from the subway movement of the 1970s to reinvent what graffiti could be. In 1980, he painted Break, the iconic whole car that highlighted his abstract, forward-thinking approach. Futura’s work began to travel internationally when he joined British punk […]
OUTERWEAR: A look into the jackets worn by New York City’s graffiti writers.
Jackets are both a fashion statement and an essential tool within graffiti culture. Beyond their aesthetic role, they function as a second skin, absorbing physical toll through exposure to harsh environments. For graffiti writers operating during late-night hours, jackets provide warmth, storage for paint and tools, and a means of blending into the landscape. Jackets […]
Barrington Levy: From Jamaica to the World
Barrington Levy is a legendary Jamaican reggae artist who emerged in the late 70s and became a driving force in reggae’s evolution. Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Levy began releasing solo music at the young age of 14. His music reflects Jamaica’s late-1970s shift from roots reggae music to early dancehall; touching on social hardship, moral […]
Banlieue: Suburbs of Paris, a book by Living Proof.
“La Banlieue” are the low-income housing projects surrounding Paris. While the term Banlieue technically refers to any suburb of a city, in French discourse it is associated with densely populated high-rise housing projects marked by economic deprivation, with some of the neighborhoods infamously labeled as “no-go zones”. While often portrayed negatively by political figures as […]
RE-IGNITION: an archival library of objects & gear
Living Proof presents, Re-Ignition: an archival library of objects and gear “Re-Ignition” is a new segment from Living Proof that serves as a library & archive of the prized possessions, rare relics and clothing belonging to graffiti writers, artists & skateboarders. Featuring items from highly coveted articles of clothing, personal keepsakes, collectibles, as well as […]
Inside New York’s Illegal Dirt Bike Crews
“12 O’Clock”, a book by Living Proof documenting the world of New York’s Bike Life crews. Living Proof has worked with numerous Bronx Bike Life crews to release “12 O’Clock”, a 130-page book documenting the world surrounding the groups of individuals that ride their ATV’s, 4 wheelers and motorized bikes throughout the 5 boroughs of […]
Gray Sorrenti Interview: Family Legacy and Finding Truth in Photography
A child of New York City at the turn of the millennium, Gray Sorrenti grew up with photography as a second language, using still images to tell stories about the world around her. Born into a lineage of influential fashion photographers, including her late uncle Davide Sorrenti and her father, Mario Sorrenti, renowned for his […]
Devon Turnbull in conversation with KATSU: Downtown New York, Graffiti, and the Origins of OJAS
Before becoming known for his gallery-like listening room installations and custom-built high-end audio equipment, Devon Turnbull’s creative moniker, Ojas, took form through graffiti, DJing, and screenprinted clothing. Turnbull grew up in Suffolk County, New York, until his parents moved to a transcendental meditation community in Iowa when he was 11. At 17, he left to […]
How Photographer Taito Itateyama Uses Photography to Preserve Time and Memory
Knowing Taito for some time, I realized I had never talked about photography with him. Among the many topics we’ve shared—our misbehaving teen years, work, relationships, and more work—he has always carried an impulsive drive for life in the way he moves, one that mesmerizes many, including myself. One line he sang, though I can’t […]
“I Don’t See Myself as an Artist”: Slawn on Skateboarding and Art.
Olaolu Slawn is a Nigerian-born creative who has been based in London since 2018. His work spans multiple mediums, with pop art and graffiti-inspired designs appearing on skate decks, canvases, murals, clothing, and sculpture. Growing up as an avid skateboarder in Lagos, he was entrusted at age 15 with the role of creative director at […]
Inside Simjae’s Stone Island Archive and the World of Hugan Books
Simjae, also known professionally as EZTAG, captures his love of fashion, music, and small subcultures through his work as a photographer and his passion for collecting and archiving. Currently living in Seoul, South Korea, he has directed campaigns for Nike and Stone Island, and recently opened the doors on his space Hugan Books to share […]
Niontay on Fada<3of$, MIKE, and His Evolution
Niontay is an American rapper and producer born in Milwaukee, raised in Florida, and currently living in Brooklyn. Though he experimented with song writing on and off through his teenage years, he didn’t take rapping fully seriously until moving to New York in 2019, when an off the cuff drunken cypher session reignited his inspiration. […]