While handpicking era-defining graffiti artists to compile the mural, Kamara gravitated to individuals Off-White has long admired for their craft. The artist Chris Daze Ellis, who began his graffiti career in the mid ’70s and once showed his works alongside Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring, represents The Bronx, where he has worked for the last 48 years. “It was crucial to come up with a visual presentation that captures the Bronx’s rich musical and cultural history,” says Ellis. His mural shows blocks cracked open with golden microphones, breakdance silhouettes, and salsa horns.
The artist Lady Pink represents Queens and Brooklyn by reminiscing on eras past. Her Queens-dedicated graffiti art depicts layered flags and multilingual expressions; her ode to Brooklyn transmits the energy of basement beats and pays tribute to Black creativity. As an influential figure in the world of hip-hop, she called upon memories of ’90s Brooklyn to commemorate one of the most celebrated cities in music. The artist Robert “CES” Provenzano represents Staten Island with a mural of ferry waves and Wu-Tang masks fading in the wind. “I pulled from the raw language of graffiti culture, subways, trains, urban textures, and city views to bring the walls to life,” says the artist. “Each surface became its own story.” And finally, Mast, a ’90s graffiti icon who grew up spraying the city, represents Manhattan with jazz riffs, punk tags and skyscrapers.
Courtesy of Off-White
