Discussing Art as an “Outlaw Practice” with Adam Stab of Architecture & Abandon Exhibition
July 2015
Unexpected Art & Decor of Baltimore City presents an Artscape 2015 gallery event, Architecture & Abandon, showcasing the work of talented and fearless artists influenced by urban landscapes and its culture. The artwork express their personal narratives and the history of how the city inevitably shape our lifestyle.
The city landscape includes monumental and contemporary architecture, unique signs, and street design. These items combined formulate strong influences on our everyday decisions. It indirectly guides our culture, social standards, and intellect. Meanwhile, city people are constantly bombarded with visuals plastered across streets and venues. Our sense of smell, touch, see, hear are stimulated within every step among urban pavement. We can’t help but notice those gigantic murals in neon paint beyond the bounds of obscure locations: pathways by the highway, under bridges, and the roof of skyhigh buildings. And the messy scribbling on bathroom stalls, paranoid writing scrawled on alleyway dumpsters, phrases with no context stuck onto mailboxes and trucks. It is expected to commonly acknowledge art as classical masterpieces formally framed onto the walls of scholarly museums and fancy galleries. Ultimately, graffiti -- legal and illegal -- proudly imposes itself by demanding your full and undivided attention.
Graffiti's grungy aesthetic, which some may consider an eyesore, disrupts the view of our “personal” space. We expect order and cleanliness, but this felonious mark is loudly outspoken and unapologetic. The arbitrary meaning is distorted through a complicated language of intricate lines and shapes. Throw ups, scribbling, bubble letters, glyphs, letters, and images evoke our internal perception to cause emotion and thought. Graffiti breaks the attitude of complacency among city dwellers.
Graffiti has evolved to an incredible intricate process since the dawn of its time in 1970s New York. Adam Stab, renowned graffiti writer and curator of Architecture & Abandon, embodies the prestige of this outlaw practice.
Adam, tell me about your origins, and passion in urban culture.
Well I was born in a city and city life born in me. Having an identification with and understanding the behaviors, habits and passions of urban life is to have an identification with and understanding of self.
Describe to me in great detail your first experience tagging.
The first time I got up was in 1983 under the highway in Mount Washington. There was an area there that had been a favorite little get up for Revolt and Cuba -- two of my predecessors, and my friend who wrote. Aztek and I went there for the first time when we knew we were ready. Or thought we were rather.
What does “urban culture” mean to you?
Art, music, fashion, slang, behavior, practices of all kinds, born of and in the city.
What was your process of producing the Architecture & Abandon show? Why these specific artists?
Well my process with the show was to both heavily lean on my Rolodex and friendship circle in the writers community and also trust inherently in the strength of the artist that were chosen strictly based on how much their work spoke too or rather helped me enunciate what the show has to say.
I was always curious about the show’s name and the use of the word Abandon. Abandon can be a powerful term. Why the name “Architecture & Abandon”?
The name of the show was originally an early working name that stuck mainly based on time, but it references having both a kind of admiration and admonishment for establishment and structure at the same time. Flipping the uses of the word abandon in the sense of an artist surrendering to a frenzied state of production versus the use of its bringing to mind urban blight and its catalytic positioning in the lives of today’s urban artists. As well the title touches on the need for awareness to the process of development and progress in the urban environment.
Some say the process of tagging is like a performance. What was the most riskiest piece you’ve done?
Tagging- as per what the tagging side of what being a style writer is about is not at all like a performance. It can be made to be. But what can’t. That’s what cable tv does. Tagging is like breathing haiku. It’s a daily practitioner of a zen master who has no desire to perform and for whom risk is measured in degrees of personal challenge. Nothing more.
What do you think about the role of art in urban/street culture?
Honestly, there’s a lot I don’t think much about and this is one of those things. In the city, as in life, some people do what they like and the rest of the people like what those people do, and thusly trends and behaviors and everything just thrives. It takes art of all kinds creative vision of all natures to create culture. Especially the best of what culture has to offer cuz it ain’t all good.
What’s the best advice that was ever given to you, or the best thing you’ve learned that has influenced you personally?
I had a boss once that told me, “Adam, you know you do your best work in the back of the house.” And he was dead on. I’m good up front, but I’m best out back.
Architecture & Abandon opens July 10th 2015, 6 PM to 8 PM at Unexpected Art & Decor located in The Fitzgerald. It will feature a reception, live graffiti painting, and featured artists pop-up shops. All artwork will be for sale unless specified otherwise. Come hang out and learn something! We look forward to seeing you!
Written by Kimberly Bariring, a graphic designer from the Baltimore City area.