polis: a collective blog about cities worldwide

Street Art and Photography Unite

by Vivien Park


ENX, Kimono Girl with Wolves (2012). Source: Dorian Grey Gallery

Photographer Hank O’Neal, aka XCIA, has been documenting New York City street art for 40 years. Also an author, music producer and former CIA agent, he has photographed work by famed graffiti artists like Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Harring and 5 Pointz.

In XCIA's latest exhibit, "Street Artists Unite!," he opened up his work to a group of street artists as a form of collaboration. Like buildings, his photographs were "bombed" by Army of One, COPE2, Fumero and many others. With the transformed photos displayed next to the originals, a dialogue between artist and documentarian is generated and presented as a collective piece.

The exhibit will be on view at New York's Dorian Grey Gallery until Aug. 5.

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