This Lady Pink art exhibition doesn’t feature her world-famous graffiti. The Museum of Graffiti presents Lady Pink: Graffiti HERstory, a solo exhibition of works on paper and canvas, as well as photographs by Lady Pink, a New York City graffiti artist, muralist and fine artist on view through May 20th, 2021.
Known as the First Lady of Graffiti, Lady Pink is considered one of the most recognizable graffiti artists in the world. She is a cult figure, being a rare female artist who carved out a space for herself in the boy’s club of graffiti art, having started to paint on trains in the 1970’s and produced work for gallery shows by 1980.
Presented in two adjacent rooms, Lady Pink: Graffiti HERstory emphasizes the subject matters closest to the artist. A body of work focused on human rights advocacy and feminism is shown next to a collection of works depicting a life dedicated to the graffiti art form.
In the first room, Lady Pink celebrates the folk heroes of the underground graffiti art movement through a series of intimate paintings and digital prints, based on photographs and memories of coming of age in New York City in the 1980s. While many of these pioneering artists have passed away, they live on in her work as individuals whose contributions to the art form she recognizes and celebrates. The portraits of each artist include personal references, symbolism and elements of each artist’s individual graffiti style. The paintings serve as not only a homage but also as a history lesson.
“People are always asking did someone teach you? In the graffiti world, teaching happens master to apprentice. Sometimes it’s someone your very own age who knows a little more,” Lady Pink has said. “When I was starting out, Seen TC5, who is only one week older than me knew so much more. He knew how to get into the subway, he knew the train yards… Graffiti is not a self-taught thing, it is a group effort.”
Lady Pink art: beyond graffiti
In this new series of work, Lady Pink has created a touching and personal tributes to her teachers and icons of graffiti art. Included in the series are portraits of the artists Dondi White, Crash, Lee, Daze, Caine One, Seen, Doze Green, and many others.
“Lovely people who have had an impact on my life. I have been putting up Caine One’s name up on walls and in paintings for 38 years. He died when he was 23 years old, so I have been writing his name much longer than he ever did. This is how we remember our dead.”
In the second room, Lady Pink presents large scale paintings portraying a feminist ideology bolstered by forty years of sounding the alarm for her beliefs at the frontlines of the graffiti movement and in art galleries. Informed by popular culture and a love for ancient architecture and history – centuries-old themes are reinterpreted for today’s audiences. Venus of Willendorf is reimagined in the painting, Black Venus, where a voluptuous Black woman is covered by colorful tattoo style art and is holding onto Lady Liberty’s torch while wearing a pink pussy hat made popular during the Women’s March in 2016. While political messages of protest are routinely found in graffiti in public places, Lady Pink continues this tradition by honing the theme within her studio practice.
ABOUT LADY PINK
Born Sandra Fabara in Ambato, Ecuador, her family moved to Queens, NY when she seven. Lady Pink’s career as a graffiti artist began in 1979 when she was a teenager tagging her ex-boyfriend’s name on city walls after he was sent to live in Puerto Rico.
Her moniker “Lady Pink” was born from her love of Victorian historical romances, the femininity associated with the color pink, and her affinity for the aesthetic look of the letters. She became 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. In 1982 she had a starring role the motion picture “Wild Style”. That role and her other significant contributions to graffiti have made her a cult figure in the hip-hop subculture.
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.
ABOUT THE MUSEUM OF GRAFFITI
Located in Miami’s Wynwood District, the Museum of Graffiti is a leading contemporary art museum dedicated to sharing the power of expression, sparking wonder, and inspiring creativity for and about the graffiti art movement. At the Museum of Graffiti, visitors can explore the history of graffiti in an experiential setting with interactive exhibitions and unique shows. The Museum seeks to honor and preserve the unique art form and to exhibit important works for permanent viewing.
Through changing exhibitions and programs, the Museum aims to introduce visitors to the artists, paintings, photos, sculptures, works on paper, and designs that have captivated youth and adults for over fifty years, as well as the environment in which the global art movement formed.
The Museum of Graffiti is open to the public with safety-first procedures, including an admission system that only allows for six people to enter the premises every 15 minutes. Guests must purchase tickets in advance online or from their mobile devices as they approach the Museum to avoid onsite transactions.
Tickets: General Admission tickets are $16; Children 13 and under are free. Tickets are available online and include access to all museum exhibitions. To purchase tickets visit our website from your desktop at home or your mobile device, museumofgraffiti.com
Hours: The Museum of Graffiti is open from 11 AM – 6 PM weekdays and 11AM– 7PM on weekends. Please check www.museumofgraffiti.com for special holidays, extended hours, and unexpected closings.
The Museum will offer a 360-degree virtual online gallery of the exhibition via their website www.museumofgraffiti.com
Location: The Museum of Graffiti, located at 299 NW 25th Street, Miami, FL 33127. For more information, please visit museumofgraffiti.com or email hey@museumofgraffiti.com.
Follow the Museum of Graffiti on Instagram @museumofgraffiti
By Chadd Scott
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