Dondi (graffiti artist)

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Dondi White (born April 7, 1961 in Manhattan , New York, † October 2, 1998 ), full name Donald Joseph White , was one of the most important graffiti writing artists.

plant

Panel piece on a DONDI subway wagon

At the age of 14 (early 1970s) Dondi started tagging himself. He started his graffiti career under the name NACO. Other occasionally used tags by Dondi were: BUS129, ASIA or WHITE761.

Around 1976, the Brooklyn-based graffiti crew "The Odd Partners" (TOP) developed into a leading force in Subway Art . With their pieces , they mainly dominated trains on the Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit Line. One of the most frequently used methods by TOPs were throw-ups. Quickly sprayed tags that are only filled in with hatching or not at all. With members like MICKEY, HURST and JEE2, the crew had some of the most important throw-up artists the scene had to offer. It was JEE2 co-founder of TOPs who recognized the potential in Dondi and accepted him into the exclusive crew in 1977. In 1978 Dondi founded his own crew "Crazy Insides Artists" (CIA). This consisted partly of remaining TOP members.

For example, he painted the “ Buffalo Gals Piece ” in the video clip of the same name and played the “Spray Double ” by Zoro in the film “ Wild Style ”. His legal pictures can now be seen in various US and European museums . The three-part Wholecar series "Children of the Grave" is one of his most important works . Dondi's title was inspired by the song of the same name by the heavy metal band Black Sabbath . The creation of the third part of the series was recorded from beginning to end by Martha Cooper . This was a graffiti writer's first collaboration with a photojournalist. The trains he sprayed have now been cleaned or scrapped. In 1998 Dondi died as a result of an HIV infection .

literature

  • Henry Chalfant, Martha Cooper : Subway Art . 2nd Edition. Thames & Hudson Inc., New York 1984, ISBN 978-0-500-27320-3 ( online [accessed January 4, 2014] original English edition).
  • Bernhard van Treeck : Writer Lexicon: American Graffiti. 1st edition. Edition Aragon, Berlin 1995, ISBN 3-89535-428-7 , p. 44.
  • Bernhard van Treeck: The great graffiti lexicon. Lexikon-Imprint-Verlag, Berlin (2001) ISBN 3-89602-292-X , p. 93.
  • Andrew Witten and Michael White "Dondi White Style Master General: The Life of Graffiti Artist Dondi White", Regan / HarperCollins Books, New York (2001) ISBN 0-06-039427-7

Web links

  • Dondi on @ 149st (English)
  • Dondi on Graffiti.org (English)

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Bernhard van Treeck : Writer Lexicon: American Graffiti. 1st edition. Edition Aragon, Berlin 1995, ISBN 3-89535-428-7 , p. 44.
  2. ^ Bernhard van Treeck: The large graffiti lexicon. Lexikon-Imprint-Verlag, Berlin (2001) ISBN 3-89602-292-X , p. 93.
  3. ↑ Wacławek, Anna .: graffiti and street art . Deutscher Kunstverlag, January 1, 2012, OCLC 785823653 , p. 15 .
  4. ↑ Andrew Witten, Michael White: Dondi White: Style Master General; The Life of Graffiti Artist Dondi White . 1st edition. HarperDes, New York 2001, ISBN 978-0-06-039427-1 , pp. 14 .
  5. ↑ dondiwhitefoundation.org /
personal data
SURNAME Dondi
ALTERNATIVE NAMES White, Donald J. (real name); White, Dondi
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American graffiti artist
DATE OF BIRTH April 7, 1961
PLACE OF BIRTH New York City
DATE OF DEATH October 2, 1998