Stick It to the Man

Comments (0) By Michael Leaverton Wednesday, Aug 4 2010

It's common to see graffiti artists move into the gallery, but it's always nice to get one who popularized a new style, such as Pez. And his style is … sticker tagging. Confused? Take a moment: Ever seen those "Hello my name is …." stickers tacked up in odd places, like lampposts, with a graffiti-esque scrawl where the carefully printed name ought to be? Sticker tagging. Some might say sticker tagging is less damaging to our buildings and buses, until they come across the gorilla hold of an adhesive vinyl sticker — there are any number of stickers used for sticker tagging. Others might point out that sticker taggers are less prone to arrest, given how fast they can slap one up. Is it even illegal? Sure it is. Today, Pez teams up with his old friend, photographer Joshua Blank, for the exhibit “You Can’t Win.” The pair used to live in the city together in the early 2000s, and published a zine by the same name. Here's what Pez writes about the partnership: “We were and are both very depressed individuals and do not really view ourselves as really fitting into any group, but as persons who kind of sit on the cusp of several." Shepard Fairey has a different take: “Pez, a bike messenger, has crushed every city he’s lived in.” As always during a graffiti show, keep your eyes peeled for undocumented work. In this case, stickers.