As issues with graffiti have been at the forefront of Toronto politics of late, this collection examines graffiti as a legitimate art form. Che Kothari in partnership with acclaimed graffiti artists Skam and Elicser, create two original pieces of Graffiti Art. The spectator is given the opportunity to delve into the process behind the work. This approach brings a context to a medium that is typically understood at face value with little consideration or understanding of the purpose and meaning inherent to the work. The illuminated approach to the graffiti medium puts an artistic lens to a craft that has been a fundamental form of expression throughout history. Posing graffiti as a beautiful expression of very public and accessible art comes at a time of most urgency when the threat of citations to business owners who bare these types of artistic expressions loom on the daily.

Subject & Artist: Skam
Song: Kardinal Offishall "The Anthem" @KARDINALO

Subject & Artist: Elicser
Music: Blake Carrington feat. "Rich Kidd (Fresh (er than the rest)"

Photography & Project Instigator: Che Kothari
Technical Production & Project Advisor: James Kachan
Photo Assistants: Giles Monette, Yannik Anton
Special Thanks: Jason Eano, Jacquelyn West and the entire team at Hermann & Audrey, and Ron D, Rich Kidd & Blake Carrington

Here are some views of the show:

Elicser - A frame by frame montage of the artwork in progress - these are the exact frames used in the video as well as the physical flip books

This was a 8 x 10 foot wall at the gallery launch for Flip Hop - equipped with paint markers and ladders.  Needless to say, the attendees left their mark :)

Artist bios:

Elicser Elliott

An illustrator and one of Toronto’s most recognized street artists, is a major influence on the downtown landscape. Prolific for over 15 years with both his fine art and graffiti work, his murals can be seen on buildings throughout the city. He has worked with many artists on aerosol murals, collaborative projects such as gallery art shows, site-specific installations (like the ROM in 2009) and musical concepts. A graduate of Sheridan College, he often works on found surfaces and his art combines the complexities of fine detail with tightly composed free form figurative and abstract collages.

Che Kothari - @chekothari

Che is determined to make a difference in his community. As a photographer for the past 10 years he has shot for numerous clients including Red Bull, The City of Toronto, Sennheisser, Sony BMG, Fido, Nike, Now Magazine, Eye Weekly, Exclaim and more. In addition to his commercial work Che has shot intimate portrait sessions with the likes of Ziggy, Julian & Damian Marley, K’Naan, k-os, Ice Cube, Faith Evans, T.I., Common, Talib Kweli, D’bi Young, Zaki Ibrahim and many others for renowned magazines and publications. Che has exhibited his works over 75 times in Toronto and has also been featured in New York exhibitions, as well as a solo show and artist talk in Tokyo Japan. Che also is a co-founder of Manifesto Community Projects/Manifesto Festival and has served as the organizations Executive Director for the past 5 years, a co-founder of Manifesto Jamaica, the co-creative director and co-founder of Hightop Studio, and the 2008 Executive Director of Ignite The Americas. Additionally, Che is a sought after and respected voice on arts and culture in the international arts policy community has been at a presenter at The British Council, The Ibero-American Congress on Culture, TEDxQueens, The Organization of American States, Harvard University, and The United Nations Safer Cities Forum. As far as Che is concerned, nothing can stop him from sharing his passion and love with the world. He hopes that emerging and established artists will shape and follow his lead.

Skam

Over 18 years in the game, Skam has firmly planted his feet as a respected graffiti artist and designer, with work ranging from the street level graffiti scene to corporate clients such as – Adidas, Hugo Boss, Louis Vuitton, Sony PlayStation, MSN, Google, Bacardi and Red Bull; to live public exhibitions including the Beat Street Anniversary and Marc Ecko’s Getting Up Festival. His work has played the backdrop for films like Honey starring Jessica Alba, Angel Eyes starring Jennifer Lopez and music videos by The Clipse, k-os, Mario, Fabolous and more. Skam continues to work as a contracted graffiti writer and designer, and has also opened his second shop called Homebase stocking books, magazines, toys and art supplies dedicated to street art.