Pushing it Forward: A New Zine Devoted to Graff

Sep 20

Pushing it Forward is a new zine that is devoted to graffiti and the writers that create it, not sanctioned street art, not murals, not wheat pastes, but the illicit work of bombers, taggers and writers.

The zine was founded by Chouaib Rouzaqui and Atlas Torres, edited by Lois Stavsky and designed by Lord K2. It features photographs by Ana Candelaria, BK Lenny, Gabriel Fuentes, Jalen Leston, Lord K2, Dani Reyes Mozeson, Sara C Mozeson, Tara Murray, Chouaib Rouzaqui, Lois Stavsky, Shalom Stavsky and Atlas Torres.

The first issue includes compelling photographs of graffiti art and its creators, along with commentary from its creators and other artists.

“I liked the feeling of getting my name up, and I liked the idea of getting away with it. I soon became obsessed. Once I started, I couldn’t stop. Any flat surface was good. If there was a blank space, I hit it.” – Taki 183

“It’s hard to stop.” – COPE2

“When I see a rough tag on a wall, I don’t say, “Look at that. So pretty!” but I think about someone who despite the risk of getting busted and sentenced to two years in prison, decided to face the challenge and put his freedom at jeopardy to have me see his name.” – Francesco Mazza, filmmaker.

“The first time I got up was in 2021 on the freight tracks at Ridgewood. And then I continued because I was curious as to where it was all going.” – BONI

“I feel like I’m leaving physical evidence of my existence. It’s very satisfying.” – ANGR

Reflecting the city’s restless energy while mirroring the chaos of contemporary life, unsanctioned markings have been claiming and shaping NYC’s urban landscape since the 1970s.

Ranging from crudely simple to the crisply stylized, the tags, throwies, bombs, and rollers that surface on NYC’s public spaces immerse passersby in an urban playground that disrupts the social order, as it challenges the notion of private ownership.

Unbound by social constraints, those who make their mark illicitly are fueled by a fearless passion and boundless determination to inject their visual voice into the urban environment. And unlike street art that has too often become a tool for gentrification, unsanctioned markings are viewed by many as visual pollution.

Yet, its shee immediacy, freshness and spontaneity have attracted the attention of many of us “aesthetic investigators,” as well as marketers seeking to add an element of coolness to their brands.

While Pushing it Forward, Volume 1, focuses largely on those markings that have surfaced since the onset of the pandemic, it also pay homage to those who paved the way. – Lois Stavsky