NYC Tags 1979-82
NYC Tags 1979-82
“Seeing Anita's pictures brought back memories of a very special time and place long ago... not only of people and places, but also of some great street tagging that I have never seen documented before.”
-Haze, artist
One night at a party, I ran into Keith Haring and told him about the pictures I had been taking of his subway chalk drawings. Keith asked me, “What station do you live near, and what train do you ride?” The following day, from 86th Street down to St. Marks Place, Keith had drawn figures, taking flash photos—just for me. What was so special about Keith’s Subway series is that it was temporary. One day, you would see the baby tumbling down the stairs or barking dogs, and then the next day, it could be gone—replaced with a shiny new advertisement. To me, that was bold.
Street tags were how everyone communicated in those days. As I walked down my usually streets, I could see who had been there and what messages they were leaving for each other. Paint markers had recently come on the market and we all carried black, gold, and silver in different sizes. Handball courts or train paintings were done with spray paint. Zephyr gave me my tag, $Anita Rock$! I photographed more than I tagged. Most of my shots were done on my half-frame camera so they were rarely in sharp focus. I was capturing a glimpse into life at that time on the streets of NYC through the eyes of street artists and graffiti writers.
