RAT RATZ: Milano Centrale
*Interview by Angel Cheng. Photos by Simone Gozzeti and Brisquit. Rat Ratz is a skate-crew formed out of Milano Centrale plaza. Their videos embody the raw energy of skateboarding and have garnered attention world-wide. Brisquit, the original filmer, began making the videos with an old Canon camera at a time when there were not many […]
Kyota Umeki on Star Team East Village
interviewed by Angel Cheng. Photos by David Wang Star Team East Village is a clothing + accessories brand that began in New York City’s East Village, founded by Kyota Umeki. Since its inception, the brand has grown from a local East Village gift shop to an internationally recognized label. The brand’s signature piece is its jeans, famously marked by […]
Ryan Mettz on Life in NYC
Ryan Mettz is an artist based in New York City, known for his work as a painter and tattooist. In addition to these creative pursuits, Ryan enjoys surfing and secretly paints graffiti (don’t tell anyone). His ability to balance multiple disciplines makes him a compelling figure, constantly pushing boundaries and embracing the diverse opportunities the […]
Outfit Architecture: Artist Edition 001
In 1990s New York City, a subculture created around garments spread throughout the graffiti scene via boosting culture and street fashion. Gore-Tex technical jackets, boots, backpacks and above all, Polo Ralph Lauren was stolen from retail stores and either sold for loot or worn for style. With Ralph Lauren gaining street-level traction from infamous crews […]
Nicole McLaughlin’s Creative Climb
*Interview by Lei Takanashi. Photos by Wes Knoll. Nicole McLaughlin is an artist/designer whose upcycled works explore the greater potential of discarded materials and mass produced waste. As a self-proclaimed “Industry Dumpster,” McLaughlin collaborates with major brands like Arc’teryx and Hermes on sustainability initiatives while also challenging these labels to rethink how they work with leftover materials. […]
KATSU: Transcending Graffiti
KATSU is an artist and graffiti writer whose approach to his work has blurred the lines between the physical space and the digital space. While still maintaining an exceptional standard in what is considered ‘traditional’ graffiti, KATSU has often veered in his line of attack. His methodology has included the hacking of various public spaces […]
NYC’s Downtown Scene: Early 2000s
In the early 2000s, New York City’s economic landscape created a world in which one could survive off of little. Artists, skaters, graffiti writers, poets & musicians inhabited the city, organically creating style & culture in a way that permeated into the life of the neighborhood; its night clubs, public parks & city blocks. Common […]
Martin Wong
Issue 5, Living Proof Magazine. Martin Wong was an artist deeply embedded in the Lower East Side’s cultural tapestry. His paintings depicted scenes ranging from prison cells and brick walls to the vibrant downtown characters he surrounded himself with. He found community among outsiders and amassed a significant collection of graffiti artifacts beginning in the […]
OJAE FYC
THE JUICE MAN Words & photos by Wes Knoll. Article featured in Issue 5, Living Proof Magazine. “WHO ARE YOU?! WHO ARE YOU?! WHO ARE YOU?!,” a man screams on a crowded subway train underground. Unsure of who he was demanding answers from, I turned in curiosity. The mystery revealed itself by the sight of a […]
GKAE SKREW MSK
GKAE SKREW MSK is an internationally acclaimed graffiti writer whose name is synonymous with the title of ‘king’ from New York to Los Angeles. Getting down in MSK during the summer of 1992 when the crew was still an offshoot of AWR, GKAE approached graffiti with relentless will-power matched by few. He explains his reason […]
VFR // VFRESH // VEEFER
Resting atop the pinnacle of New York City graffiti is VFR’s legacy. Epitomizing the term “bomber”, having gone all-city numerous times during a time period when the foundations of street graffiti were still being laid, few have matched the omnipresence accomplished by VEEFER. Forming the early wave of NY street bombing pioneers, VFR & his […]
Archival Project
An ongoing project of preservation. Our archive has been updated with 4 digital books: Gates-Tunnels-Highways-Insides. New York, 1990s-2000s. All 4 archival works, available now on our Living Proof membership. Photographs: Tommy Holiday. *Each book serves as a historical document, respectively showcasing the Gates, Tunnels, Highways & Insides of a past era of New York City […]