Graffiti has come a long way since its roots as a deviant art form of the '70s and '80s. Tagging and hip-hop have given rise to an important aesthetic in the art world, evinced by Drips Caps & Flicks, the latest group show on display at Golden Belt, a new arts complex in downtown Durham.
The show features the works of eight Southern artists displayed in three rooms. Each makes different use of the hip-hop and graffiti aesthetic, some to greater effect than others. "Deseandote Aqui," jointly done by Joseph Giampino and Derek Toomes, is a bland canvas occupied only by a primate and graffiti text. It tries to be an apt commentary on how steeped in visuals the hip-hop culture is but instead looks more like an Urban Outfitters T-shirt. Other works, like Owen Beckman's large-scale screen-printed tapestry with overlapping images of Ronald Reagan, bullets and words drawn in the Disney font, succeed fully. The work, stunning simply for its size-covering an entire wall on its own-best demonstrates the cross-section of graffiti and more conventional art.
Andrew Leon Gray and Fahamo Pecou's works are the highlights of the show. Pecou's two works offer an insightful criticism of hip-hop. On a stark white canvas, "Talking Loud But Ain't Saying Nothing" depicts a male standing atop a pile of microphones. Pecou's other work, "Do Ur Chain Hang Low," similarly has a man hanging from a tree, suspended by a microphone cord. Both works have empty speech bubbles coming from the figures' mouths, suggesting the loss of meaning caused by the mainstreaming of hip-hop.
In spite of some misses, Drips Caps & Flicks is an exciting exhibition, showcasing the provocative crossroads of traditional and street art.
-A.O. Hibbard
Drips Caps & Flicks is on display through Jan. 4 at Room 100 in Building 3 of Golden Belt, 807 E. Main St. The gallery is open Tuesday to Saturday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday noon to 6 p.m.
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