Revok

[sleepboy]

[twocool4u1]

thats pretty sick

[saL]

this is insanely clean, sharp, and detailed for a billboard takeover.. is there any chance he was actually allowed to paint this one!?...

[epicfai]

Revok was arrested thursday at LAX and is being held on $320,000 bail.

laist.com/2011/04/24/graffiti_vandal_arrested_at_lax_was.php

[Weekender]

Apr 24, 2011 17:35:05 GMT -8 epicfai said:

Revok was arrested thursday at LAX and is being held on $320,000 bail.

laist.com/2011/04/24/graffiti_vandal_arrested_at_lax_was.php

Hefty fine. I hope it gets settled. But i assume its an arrest prior to several ones and unresolved damages. Timing is bad, imagine prior to a trip overseas.

[sleepboy]

Guess it's 6 months in jail.

latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/04/revok-graffiti-writer-setnenced-to-180-days-in-jail.html

[evilchoy]

Any word on Invader and did he and his assistant make bail?

[epicfai]

one of the street art blogs had a very interesting bit today comparing relative bail amounts in LA recently. there were several examples of bail recently set for criminals charged with rape and child molestation that were set at a mere fraction of what Revoks bail was set at. clearly, i think the local PD are trying to make political hay out of this arrest.

[treeoflife]

priors + not paying restitution + setting a standard that you'll keep committing the crimes you've been arrested for = high bail.

... not saying that they shouldn't slice the nuts off the rapists and molesters, but given the circumstances, the bail isn't surprising.

[saL]

some efforts to help raise funds for Revok's bail:



In light of the recent arrest of REVOK, 1xRun released a print by ASKEW, and 100% of the proceeds will go to REVOK’s legal defense fund.

All prints are Signed & Numbered and come with a Certificate of Authenticity from 1xRUN, 22 x 15.75 inches Giclee on 330gsm 100% Archival Cotton Paper, Maximum Edition Size: 150, $60

MORE INFO HERE! >





In an effort to raise funds and help influential LA graffiti artist REVOK pay his legal fees after being sentenced to 180 days in an LA County jail for previous vandalism charges and "not paying sufficient restitution to his victims," SEVER has designed this t-shirt now being sold through The Seventh Letter for $28.

BUY YOURS HERE! >

[svenman]

Apr 26, 2011 3:37:00 GMT -8 treeoflife said:

priors + not paying restitution + setting a standard that you'll keep committing the crimes you've been arrested for = high bail.

quite right. goes with the territory.
shame he got locked up, but from what i read it sounds like it didn't come as a suprise. he skipped bail previously...

i wouldn't fancy six minutes in jail, let alone six months.
10foot recently got locked up for 26 months over here.

how does the system work over there? as he has gone to jail already, what is the legal fund for? can they collect money on his behalf to pay off the bail amount and get him out of jail? i didn't think this could happen in the usa.

[commandax]

Apr 28, 2011 6:01:27 GMT -8 svenman said:

how does the system work over there? as he has gone to jail already, what is the legal fund for? can they collect money on his behalf to pay off the bail amount and get him out of jail? i didn't think this could happen in the usa.

They are likely raising money to appeal the ruling. Also, the LAPD has stated that this is just the beginning – this sentence is just for his probation violation for a two-year-old misdemeanor vandalism charge. LAPD claims that in this latest arrest they have now gathered new evidence to charge him with felony vandalism, which could easily result in a 3-year sentence on top of the current 6 months. Also, a felony conviction is a big deal in California, because three felony convictions will land you in prison for life under our Three Strikes Law. Just try to wrap your head around life in prison for graffiti.

If you've ever read Revok's blog, you'd know he's extremely antagonistic toward the police. He's constantly posting videos and other accounts of grotesque police brutality, which rarely make the news. There's some speculation that this persecution is partly in retaliation for that.

[treeoflife]

In the United States?

I'd have to delude myself to a level where I abandoned the notions of accountability to the law where one chooses to live, personal responsibility, private property, and those two other felonies... and that's just too much work.

Apr 28, 2011 7:03:38 GMT -8 commandax said:

Apr 28, 2011 6:01:27 GMT -8 svenman said:

Just try to wrap your head around life in prison for graffiti.

[sleepboy]

A nice analysis on the situation

www.erraticphenomena.com/2011/05/revoks-crime-of-passion.html

[commandax]

From Saber's blog:

"The last image in this blog is a portrait of Revok and I taking a quick break from painting standing outside the museum early in the morning. Both of us were taking in the crisp fresh air thinking of the long road we’ve been on together. In the back of my mind I wanted to celebrate in the moment for making it there together. What kept me from celebrating was the sick feeling I had twisting in my stomach. It’s a humbling feeling. We knew the authorities would make someone an example for this show. We knew there was a dark cloud hovering. I just want people to understand that there is a price to pay. That debt comes in many forms and my best friend paid with his freedom. The piece Revok painted is more valuable than museum walls itself. It represents one artist's struggle against a Leviathan. His life’s path has been altered and that piece is left behind for the museum and public to enjoy. Revok is what gives this show its legitimacy. He is the artist who is locked away in a maze of dangerous halls. His real crime? Being an artist who is misunderstood. If certain people want to criticize the “legitimacy” of “Art In The Streets” as a valid museum show then they need to reflect on Revok’s artistic contributions to the movement. For those who write us off as malicious vandals, they should pause and ask themselves what they are willing to sacrifice for what they believe in. Before they can pass judgment they would have to walk in our shoes for a block."

[sleepboy]

His tag on front of Wall Street Journal.

[commandax]

A beautifully reasoned argument from a guy named Laird Wilcox in the comments section of the Wall Street Journal article:

"Perhaps we need to look at a contrarian view of graffiti.

As we can see from the comments here there's a huge disconnect between artistic free spirits and the property rights constituency. Both have good arguments that largely depend upon their own interests. Part of what hurts artists is the association of graffiti with gangs, a stereotype that they will find hard to shake. Part of what hurts the property rights people is the association with authoritarian law and order fundamentalism and they, too, will find that hard to shake.

Some of the really good graffiti is far more attractive than what it is painted on. There are parts of many towns that could use some talented graffiti artists and I've often wondered why cities didn't commission some of these people to spruce things up. A lot of properties could use a good paint job anyway. The idea that all graffiti is bad is largely a social construction that could use some reworking. I recall seeing an overpass that was far more appealing as the result of skilled artists that it was as bare concrete.

There will always be a tension between free-spirited artists and the agencies of the state who work on behalf of property owners. Conservatives don't like it described this way but that's exactly what it is. Police love the opportunity to crack down on the wierdo artsy-craftsy nonconformists who write on walls. These guys don't pay taxes to fund their pensions, refuse to respect the interests of those who do and have a sense of independence that otherwise interferes with the big business/big government axis.

Communist governments made graffiti artists public enemies, and in North Korea getting caught can mean the rest of your life in a prison camp. Both the People’s Republic of China and the People’s Republic of Massachusetts hunt down graffiti subversives and even offer rewards for tips. The East German Stasi had a special squad that tracked them and punishments were severe. When the Soviet empire fell graffiti artists play no small part. Is there is a lesson here that conservatives are missing?

What you should be worried about is governments who want to take money and property away from you and not artists who want to take advantage of unused space. What this antagonism does is prevent alliances between artists and businesses from forming -- something deeply feared by the democratic left. It’s no accident that the get tough and zero-tolerance policies that exist in most cities are championed by bureaucrats and social planners who belong to public unions. This is job security for them.

It’s understood that if you don’t want somebody painting on your house they shouldn’t do it. Very little artistic graffiti is painted on homes and gang tagging – something else altogether -- means that gangs and the people who make them up are the real issue. Instead of ruthlessly prosecuting graffiti artists, why not pick good ones to do their work on your business property so that they develop a proprietary interest in their skills and get a sense of what free enterprise is about? How would you feel about this if graffiti artists were ridiculing Obama, big government and the welfare state? This might also free up a few hundred police officers and pencil pushers from desk jobs harassing artists around the country to fighting violent crime, drug smugglers, illegal aliens, terrorists and human traffickers.

You need to get your priorities straight here, guys."

[sin]

He's out! 44 days and $24K less in his pocket but he's back on the streets.

[saL]

Mr. Brainwash will be releasing a new print "Never Give Up" in support of Los Angeles based street artist Revok. Net proceeds of this sale will be donated to Revok for being an inspiration to street artists, and never giving up.

seven-color screen print on deckled edge archival art paper, signed, numbered, and thumb printed by the artist

Edition:100
Price:$400
Size: 22inx30in
Limit one per person

Available on Wednesday June 22nd, at 12pm pst @ Mr Brainwash store

[sleepboy]

Interestingly, he calls out Fab 5 Freddy for his work in comparison to Sever in the Three Kings show.

[fnord]

Looks like he removed it.

[sleepboy]

Sept 22, 2011 16:42:27 GMT -8 fnord said:

Looks like he removed it.

Sorry, fixed link above. Still there.

[itsnitty]

dude is so nice with it...excited to see his new body of work!

also, it IS interesting that he called out Fab 5 Freddie...doesn't seem like his style (the negative energy)...I feel him though, and it continues to show how much heart he has. On the flip side, there are biters everywhere you look (art or otherwise)...just part of the game...haha maybe SEVER is flattered!

[sleepboy]

Collaboration with RISK.

[itsnitty]

The new show at Vicious (and choice of medium) are entertaining to say the least. I personally wish there was a bit more graff/paint on the wood in places, vicious work nonetheless.