photo ©NYT

I could write all day about the king level work that graffiti writer Espo has put in over the years. From the work I would see on the train home from school, the old school Philly walls, the books, the Gulianni fiasco, the Street Market installation, his extensive handstyles, the Love Letters to Philly, his Fulbright scholarship to my favorite project – The Espo Gates.

The plan was as ballsy as it was simple. Dress up in city worker gear, hard-hat, reflector vest, a bucket of paint and a roller. Augment your writing name and turn it into an acronym for a legitimate business (ESPO – Exterior Surface Painting Outreach). In broad daylight begin rolling over the tagged-up security gates that are ubiquitous in New York City. Nobody suspects a thing because it appears the work being done is intended to buff the existing graffiti. Meanwhile, once the entire gate was painted one color, Espo would paint the negative space in a contrasting color thus creating the letterform. The fruit of this labor were enormous straight letters that began popping up all over the entire city. During a party we were throwing in Philly I was lucky enough to have a conversation with him as he was just ramping this project up. He was carrying a little photo album with the gates he has already created and told me he was numbering them and aiming for 100. Awesome. It was brilliant really and stands out in a career littered with brilliantly executed projects. Looking back, the gates were somewhat of a grand finale that hit nearing the end of his legendary graffiti run. It was a run I was lucky enough to witness first-hand coming up in Philly and moving to NYC during the same time. Bada-Boom.

Check out his books if you haven’t copped them yet. They belong on your A-list shelf.

Related Posts

No related posts found