12 April 6–12, 2023 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents Tags are graffiti names painted onto a sur- face sans elaborate styling. Bombs, throwies and throw-ups are quick creations that are slightly more elaborate than tags, such as bubble letters. A piece layers elaborate color- ing, outlines and 3D styling onto a tag. A pro- duction, the type of graffiti Trigger Fingers artists create at the event, includes a series of pieces with characters and drawings. Graffiti is street art. But not all street art is graffiti. Street art is the art of the masses, and the demand for it has skyrocketed. Murals and graffiti work have long trans- formed Dallas’ scenery. The hands behind these creations often sprout from Dallas’ artist hubs. The West Dallas Tin District, a former industrial center, is the unofficial lo- cation of Dallas’ artist quarters. Here, more than 30 artists conduct their studio practice, in buildings adorned with graffiti work. The Tin District is home to The Fabrica- tion Yard, a legal graffiti park where experi- enced and amateur graffiti artists hone their craft, right next door to posh galleries. Like the Tin District, the streets of Deep Ellum have flourished into a homegrown gal- lery of varied street art. It now boasts Deep Ellum Blues Alley, an expansive series of out- door murals dedicated to Dallas’ blues music history, where muralists, graffiti artists and those who practice both art forms, such as Stalsby and Hatziel Flores, have contributed. The Deep Ellum Foundation estimates more than 100 murals are housed in the en- tertainment district. New murals are ap- pearing as businesses commission artists’ works. “They’re [society] using something that we created that they [society] criminalized and now it’s a thriving business,” Albarez says. “So- ciety wants to remove the fact that the whole street art movement started as graffiti.” Commissioned street art often removes an artist’s creative freedom, he says. Those delegating the work generally have a vision they want the artist to imagine, whereas the independent nature of graffiti allows artists to create their individual styles that can sky- rocket a career. “A lot of the really good street artists, the well-known ones, all started as graffiti art- ists,” Albarez says. Shephard Fairey, famed for his “Hope” poster of President Barack Obama and his 1989 “Andre the Giant Has a Posse” campaign, has many ties to Dallas street art, even gifting Deep Ellum a painted water tower mural in 2021. He and Tristan Eaton, who is most known for his large scale patchwork style mu- rals, found their footing in graffiti. France, Denmark, Mexico, Sweden and hundreds of spaces in the U.S. are home to free- hand spray painted masterpieces by Eaton. Trigger Fingers’ 2022 wall was one of them. As street art becomes commercialized and popularized, some definitions have be- come subjective. However, the use of spray paint alone doesn’t qualify a work as graffiti. “Graffiti artists can be muralists, but a mu- ralist cannot be a graffiti artist,” Albarez says. The difference lies in the name. Graffiti artists adopt artistic names. For legal rea- sons, many keep these names confined to their graffiti circles. With these names comes an obligation to understand and com- ply with the culture behind graffiti. “I joke with [graffiti artists] all the time,” Biggers says. “For graffiti to be such a rebel- lious art form, there’s too many rules.” The most prominent rule is to have re- spect for the art. Albarez says graffiti artists can tell when a work is refined. The line work is crisp, the artist’s control over the can is evident. Blends and transitions are smooth. “The average person doesn’t understand that painting with spray is just as masterful, if not more masterful, than painting with a brush and using oil or acrylic,” Biggers says. His own works have been influenced by the techniques he’s learned from his proxim- ity to graffiti circles. He credits his adaptabil- ity and problem solving to the techniques he’s learned through graffiti work. Among graffiti circles, respect is required for both seasoned artists and those who have mastered their craft. Certain works, like those at Trigger Fingers, are no-touch zones. Edward Holman, owner of Deep Ellum Self Storage, says that before becoming the host site for Trigger Fingers, his property was often defaced. When Albarez ap- proached him to request permission to use his wall, he hesitated. He feared the event would spark an onset of graffiti on his prop- erty. The opposite happened. “There’s a hierarchy in the graffiti culture somewhere,” Holman says. “There’s been very little tagging now. The artists come and touch the artwork back up. There seems to be a good communication system.” Last May, Urban Army Crew’s produc- tion was written over. Amateur markings of a jack-o-lantern, dolphin and horse, among other things, were placed over the seasoned crew’s masterpiece. “Kids are dumb, kids make mistakes, but no matter your age you should know not to do this, you know this ain’t the spot for this,” the Trigger Fingers’ Instagram page posted. On March 26, Deep Ellum Self Storage’s wall was wiped clean. In anticipation of April 1, a thick coating of black exterior paint was applied over last year’s creations. Artists from IMOK Crew, DF Crew, Creatures Crew, MFK Crew, TITS Crew, Urban Army and individual artists such as Ryan Stalby, Shiq, Beware and others met at the wall to create new artworks. Beforehand, the artists of Trigger Fingers opened their exhibition called The Ones in the Chamber at Deep Ellum’s Umbrella Gal- lery, 2803 Taylor St. The exhibition runs un- til April 10. For some, this exhibition will be the first time they’ll be working and showing arts on canvas. For many artists, it will be their first time invited into the gallery realm. And while the collective advocates for legitimizing graf- fiti, most artists will stay true to its nature and continue to leave their legacy on the city’s un- der dwellings and unsightly places. “My art is going to live beyond my life- time,” Albarez says. “That’s why I put my name up in as many places as I can. It’s to say, ‘Hey, I existed at this point in time.’” Graffiti artist Minqs works on her wall. Trigger Fingers co-founder Ray Alberaz poses with his grafitti artwork. Mike Brooks Mike Brooks Canned Goods from p10 West Village• 214-750-5667 • www.avalon-salon.com Spring Sale Up to 30% Spa Services Massage Therapy, Dermaplaning, Hydrafacials, and Aveda Signature Facials March 3 – April 10 EARLY ENTRY EXCLUSIVE RESTAURANTS • AND MORE! BE VIP BE VIP Saturday, APRIL 29 11:30A.M. - 2:30P.M. | DALLAS CITY HALL PLAZA A D BRUNCH EVENT DOBRUNCHTHEMORNINGAFTER.COM
