SCOTCH 79, a.k.a. KEO TC-5, is a bona-fide Brooklyn legend in the realm of NYC graffiti and hip hop. SCOTCH 79 came of age in the Brooklyn of the 1970’s and learned his craft in the tunnels and yards of the MTA’s subway system.
With an “old school” aesthetic he continues to ingrain his charismatic signature into the tapestry of urban art & pop culture, while also redefining classic graffiti styles into fresh new work through his fine art and design outlets
Website: www.tcfive.com
Artwork by Keo will be on display March 6th through March 28th at Crewest Gallery during "Revolutions".
Born and raised in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, Web came to notice graffiti on the subways in the early 70s. It wasn't until he went to the High School of Art & Design in 1979 that he learned the art and culture of graffiti.
There he met Seen, Doze, Abby, 2Cute, Mr.Wiggles(Rek), Fabel, Lady Pink, Lady Heart, Paze, Ence, Size, Par and others. After being schooled by Quasar3, he began bombing insides in 1980. Somewhere around that time, he met Staf27 and they became partners.
By 1982 Web was doing pieces on the 2s and 5s and then expanded to the BMTs. Late in 1983, he joined a group called ICRY, where he met Doc TC5 and was put down in the 5. From there, it was on. Along with Ebn, Staf27 and Beam, they took over the 3 line. In late ‘85, Web and Doc visited the 1 line and made a major impact. Within that timeframe, he met Yourz (YZ) and did several cars on the BMTs and IRTs. By 1988, Web's subway career ended.
In the last 20+ years, he has continued to paint and be creative, influencing generations thru his work.
Website: www.tcfive.com
Artwork by WEB ONE will be on display March 6th through March 28th, 2010 at Crewest during "Revolutions".
Website: www.tcfive.com
Artwork by Yourz will be on display March 6th through March 28th, 2010 at Crewest during "Revolutions".
REK/REC TC5 was born in Spanish Harlem and raised in South Bronx. As a young kid in the early 70's, he made his first tag and signature “Kool Kat” and ran around with a pen writing his name all over his block.
Rek was involved in every aspect of "ROCKIN" (what would eventually be called "HIP HOP"): Rockin walls, Rockin the Mic, Rockin the Floor, Rockin the TurnTabels, Rockin the Layups.
It would be through his meeting SEEN TC5 that he would gain his name and claim to fame. In 1979, Rek entered the High School of Art & Design along with Seen, Fabel, Doze, Pink, Erni, Gil, Tack, Airborn, Dore, Kaze, Phade, Mare and many other young prominent writers. In 1981, Rek finally got the seal of approval from SEEN to be a member of TC5; that same year while observing REK dance, SEEN passed down one of his secret signature names to REK. It would change his life as a HIP HOP artist and from that point on REK was known as MR WIGGLES - WRITER, BBOY, ROCKER, POPPER, LOCKER, MC, BEAT MAKER and more.
Websites: www.tcfive.com and www.mrwiggles.biz
Artwork by Mr. Wiggles will be on display during "Revolutions" from March 6th through March 28th, 2010 at Crewest.
Lady Pink was born in Ecuador, but raised in NYC. In 1979 she started writing graffiti and soon was well known as the only female capable of competing with the boys in the graffiti subculture. Pink painted subway trains from the years 1979-1985. She is considered a cult figure in the hip-hop subculture since the release of the motion picture "Wild Style" in 1982, in which she had a starring role. While still in high school she was already exhibiting paintings in art galleries, and at the age of 21 had her first solo show at the Moore College of Art. As a leading participant in the rise of graffiti-based art, Lady Pink's canvases have entered important art collections such as those of the Whitney Museum, the MET in New York City, the Brooklyn Museum and the Groningen Museum of Holland. She has established herself in the fine arts world, and her paintings are highly prized by collectors. Lady Pink continues to mature as an artist, producing ambitious murals commissioned for businesses and creating new paintings on canvas that express her unique personal vision.
Today she runs a small mural company with her artist husband Smith, creating massive works around New York City, constituting one of the few professional teams to originate from the graffiti subculture. Pink has mobilized artists into donating public art in culturally neglected communities. She also shares her 20 years of experience by holding mural workshops with kids and actively lecturing college students throughout the Northeast.
Website: www.tcfive.com
Artwork by Lady Pink will be on display March 6th through March 28th, 2010 at Crewest during the "Revolutions" exhibit.
In the mid 1980s, CYCLE began his intrigue with graffiti by taking marker tags. It wasn't until the late 80s and early 90s, while away at college in Washington DC ,that he started to seriously piece.
He is credited with helping get the DC graffiti scene off the ground and co-founded the DC Hall of Fame. During his time in DC, he went all-city and also started doing freights.
During the 1990s, he linked up with Lady Pink, Smith and others, and began doing large scale wall productions, all the while still doing freights.
In 1996, he went to graduate school in San Francisco where he met Doze. Cycle then went all-city in San Francisco with everything from tags to full blown productions. After graduate school, he moved back east, continuing large-scale productions with Pink and Smith.
Cycle no longer does freights, but he continues to be creative doing shows and appealing to the masses.
Website: www.tcfive.com
Artwork by Cycle will be on display March 6th through March 28th, 2010 during the "Revolutions" exhibit.
ABBY , an alumni of Art & Design High School (NYC ), started her writing career around 1982, motion bombing on bus lines and walls of her native Queens New York neighborhood. It was at Art & Design H.S. where she discovered early female writer 'Heart' AKA Lady Heart, thus giving her the confidence that graffiti was not a "Boys Only" craft. Taking the subway everyday, ABBY became further inspired and
influenced early on by and aware of a bevy of the females rockin’ the Number and Letter Train Lines such as Chick, SS and Pink.
Artists she saw "Up" in her home turf of Jamaica Queens include Cey City and Cer TPA crew who first took her to bomb the E and F trains. Eventually mentors like Mare139, Seen TC5, Web and Doc nurtured and critiqued her work, as she independently developed her piecing style during her high school years.
ABBY was "Up" most often on the A, CC, E, F and sometimes on N, GG, 2 and 5 lines. Her art was prolific in the 80’s Black Book Culture Scene as well as 90’s Wall Art Culture.
In the New Millenium, ABBY performed live painting at the "Meeting of the Styles" event in Chicago and at the "B-Boy Barbeque" in Philadelphia (both in 2005). That year also signified her return to street painting. In 2009 ABBY's work was shown at the "Queenz Arrive" Show at McCaig Welles Gallery in Williamsburg (Brooklyn). In February 2010, her work will be featured in the "TC5 Black History Month Collective" on DirtyPilot.com
In Her Own Words:
Artist's Statement
.."This medium allows me a different place in which to dwell and express my freedom and imagination. As my style has evolved, I’m much less focused on the size and structure of the letter, while taking a more experimental approach to what I do with it..a bit less remains planned ( Traditional Black Book Style) and more about the mood of the
moment...I just began using my old paint colors (that were in storage in NY for 20 years) and that old smell of Krylon is still intoxicating to me in addition to still being great to paint with. Very concentrated. With the new paints I utilize, it’s all about pressure and distance. I can do anything with them yet use less of it to achieve the same intensity in pigment. My style remains based in traditional graff letter structure. I tend not to close my paths and let other paths join in and influence or give emphasis to a line. I’m the free-bird, the butterfly of the crew."
Website: www.tcfive.com
Artwork by Abby will be on display during "Revolutions" on view from March 6th through March 28th, 2010 at Crewest.
Born and raised in the streets of Washington Heights, TOTEM was no stranger to the 1 line which passed right through Broadway. Seeing all the great burners on the 1 line at that time, when graff was graff, he got interested in it real quick.
Since art ran through his blood, he got into graffiti at the age of 11, writing his name on any corner. He really got into art and graffiti once he attended Art & Design High School in 1984. Art & Design was home to a lot of famous writers, especially within TC5. During his high school years, he met a lot of people in the scene: JUICE, DOZE, SEEN, PSYCHO, POKE, and EPS. Over time, he got down with a few crews such as IBM, which came first, then TC5, FC, XMEN, and NTA.
He took a 14 year break to work and raise his son then came back to the graffiti world with a vengeance to keep the game and crew alive…And the rest is history.
Website: www.tcfive.com
Artwork by Totem will be on view March 6th through March 28th, 2010during "Revolutions".
Born in East New York, Brooklyn, Phade studied photography at the High School of Art and Design in Manhattan, then attended New York City Tech in Brooklyn before completing college at Savannah College of Art and Design with a major in video production. He also studied digital art at Pratt Institute and earned a certificate of Business at Baruch College. He also earned a diploma in Biblical Studies from Antioch School of Urban Ministry.
He has been airbrushing for the entertainment industry for two decades. He opened up 'Shirt Kings', a store in Jamaica, Queens, where he met and serviced many of today's "Hip Hop' moguls such as Jay-Zee, Run-DMC, 50Cent, L.L. Cool J, Queen Latifah, New Edition, Bill Cosby, and most recently Raven Symone of Disney's 'That's So Raven.
He worked as a painter, then as a muralist, for Robert Trump in many Trump-run apartment complexes. He also worked for the Jewish Board of Family and Children Services in Hawthorne, NY running a program and completing a project that culminated in a book he titled 'Permission To Dream', funded by the Westchester Council of the Arts. He joined the ranks of Publicolor in November 2004, fulfilling his dream of working with inner-city youth and painting and leading by example. He is a faithful church member and serves his church manning the mixing board (for music) and mentoring youth.
The history, the fashion and art of Phade can be seen at Crewest during "Revolutions" on view from March 6th through March 28th. Phade is also Crewest's Featured Artist for March and will be knocking everyone out of their socks with a very fashionable installation in the Featured Artist Room.
Exclusive limited edition tee designed by Doc TC-5 will be available at the opening on March 6th!
Pre-order requests can be sent to info@crewest.com
Website: www.tcfive.com
