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A photo exhibition explores Montreal graffiti past and present by SCOTT C
There's the guy handing out flyers to people who immediately throw them to the ground, covering the sidewalk with instant garbage. But pause for another minute, and you may be overwhelmed by the amount of tags, throw-ups, stickers and roller-bombs that have made graffiti very much a part of the downtown core. Graffiti in Montreal has snowballed over the years to the point where our fair city is considered the most heavily bombed urban centre in Canada. Although immediately visible as you stroll through the veins of the inner-city, graffiti is not a phenomenon confined to downtown Montreal, with a widespread reach touching almost every outlying suburb as well. Bombing and throw-ups "Toronto is what you call a production city," explains photographer Paul Labonte. "They have legal walls all along some of the main streets, so there's hardly any bombing or throw-ups at street level. Whereas here we went from the least graffiti-oriented city to the most bombed in two and a half years." Labonte has been following the movements of local graffiti writers and photographing them since about '97. Along with fellow documentarian Kevin Dobie, the two have compiled a series of black and white photos depicting the graf-saturated city of Montreal. "I was never trying to depict the definitive representation of graffiti in Montreal," says Dobie. "I just wanted to shoot what I saw as someone in the city. It's what I see in my daily routine--and it's there whether people acknowledge it or not. It's not like people are walking around trainyards looking at pieces--the stuff in the photos is right in front of you." In other words, their collection will not feature any tell-tale action shots of the masked bomber putting the finishing touches on a masterpiece. The graf depicted is so widespread that it's hard to determine whether it's accepted, approved of, or just an inevitable blight on the urban landscape. "I'm obviously openly sympathetic to graffiti, but even I can't define what is good and bad," says Dobie. "But no matter what, it's still out there in a big way."
Flow, Stak & Akira The two photographers, along with local graf legends Flow, Stak and Akira, are part of an exhibit called Out for Fame, which opens March 1 at the MacDonald-Harrington Architecture building at McGill. Flow, who founded the crew SAT (Smashing All Toys), has respect as a Montreal graffiti originator, making him well known in both the public eye and in the graffiti community. Writing since '93, he's managed to stay underground and virtually anonymous. Stak, formerly known as Mersh, was one of Montreal's first graffiti kings, known for his tags and throw-ups and an aggressive approach to claiming city space as his own. Raymond "Akira" Betts successfully made the transition from graf artist to "serious artist" while still garnering a great respect from the underground. He's done sketches for well-known New York graffiti enthusiast Henry Chalfant's personal collection, and had some works exhibited in Japan. Academic clout
"When I first moved to New York from Montreal in 1990, I would walk or take the train and became aware of graffiti simply because it was everywhere," says Gauthier. "When I came back to Montreal, I saw that 'signature' graffiti was non-existent at the time. It wasn't the style of choice compared to the more political based graffiti that was everywhere." Gauthier started documenting photographically the differences between the culture in N.Y. and Montreal, cities with contrasting graffiti traditions. From the legendary citywide markings of Montreal's own Zep (Mtl's Keith Haring equivalent) and Zilon, to the emerging wave of graf in the early '90s, Gauthier explored the anonymous style associated with political activism and "signature" graf, which was basically the writer saying, "this is me." "Louise taught me everything I know," says Urban X-Pressions headman and exhibit organizer Sterling Downey. "She brings a voice to graffiti that many writers will never have. That educated legitimacy and credibility can only help to educate and reach those who still have a one sided view of graffiti culture." Downey, a writer himself, has been instrumental in the progression of Montreal graf over the last few years, working closely both within and outside of the graffiti community. Two previous and wildly successful exhibitions, "Under Pressure" and "Still Under Pressure," did much to open the eyes of the city to the talented and determined graf base that is alive and well in Montreal. Hard stance
Flow expresses some disdain towards writers who work strictly for the money, sidestepping the trenches where dues are paid in order to cash in on graffiti's growing mainstream appeal. "I'm not going to name names, but there are definitely writers in this city who haven't done enough illegal stuff to be reaping the benefits." I Out for Fame, a documentary photo exhibit on political and signature graffiti in Montreal in the '90s opens March 1 at the Macdonald-Harrington Architecture Bldg, McGill University Campus, Exhibition Room 3rd floor. Vernissage: Friday March 5, 812pm, with DJs Devious, Blast & P-Love. Entry by donation
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Walking down Ste-Catherine on a cold Saturday afternoon, it's incredible what you take for granted as you go about your business. There's the half-naked one-armed beggar who, despite his bold tactics, doesn't seem to be raking in the change.
Bringing some academic clout to the exhibit is Louise Gauthier, PhD (Parsons School of Design NYC), whose photo-documentary work on graffiti was featured at the New School for Social Research in 1997. Gauthier's dissertation, "Writing on the Run: The History and Transformation of Montreal Graffiti in the 1990s," generated both academic and media attention with its comparisons between Montreal, New York and Los Angeles.
But even though awareness has grown, and some levels of acceptance have been attained, writers like Flow still maintain a hard stance. "It's cool to get in the papers, on the TV or whatever, because if you're out for fame, you're going to reach way more people. But no matter how many legal contracts I get, I'm still going to do illegal stuff. That's a true aspect of graffiti."