"I feel the time is now. More than ever for our society to look at art and see the beauty in this form of calligraphy, as an art in itself."
"Urban calligraphy" is the first series of tags by American graffiti artist JonOne.
"It all started for me with handwriting, writing was my first introduction to art! Urban Calligraphy. Style was handed down by urban-legends such as BAN 2, MACKIE, RASTA, ZEPHYR, MINONE, OE3. Trains provided the ultimate black-board for the style to progress and be seen. Ink was the medium of choice for bombing. Markers where made of empty beer bottles and eraser pads. And with dish-washing gloves you would apply pints of either Flow-Master, leather dye or stamping ink in one night on trains. I remember coming out of the yards and my arm would be hurting from taking so many tags. How can I describe the pleasure I would feel after bombing a yard? That satisfaction, like a fat cat raiding a crabage can. Only those who would read the writing on the trains could start to understand and decipher the beauty of it all. It took me over twenty years of reflection to come back to this, from looking at asian and arabic calligraphy, and seeing how it plays in the lives of these cultures. I feel the time is now. More than ever for our society to look at art and see the beauty in this form of calligraphy, as an art in itself."
© JonOne / © Speerstra Gallery
