“Above Ground” Exhibition
From the streets of New York to the walls of major galleries worldwide.
Legendary artist Eric Haze has been tapped to create the main title graphics and site-specific artwork for Above Ground, a must-see exhibition opening next Thursday evening, 11/21, at the Museum of the City of New York. This show dives deep into graffiti’s evolution, how it jumped from NYC streets to global galleries, reshaping culture along the way.
Above Ground brings together highlights from the Museum’s massive graffiti art collection, with key pieces on loan from private collections. It traces the movement’s shift from tagging subway cars to creating on canvas, a turning point that put graffiti on the world stage. Many works were donated 30 years ago by the visionary Martin Wong, and some are being shown for the very first time. Expect to see iconic creations in aerosol, ink, and beyond from legends like Keith Haring, Futura 2000, Fab 5 Freddy, Rammellzee, Lee Quiñones, Haze, Crash, Lady Pink, and Tracy 168.
“This show celebrates the 30th anniversary of Martin Wong’s incredible donation and the 10th anniversary of MCNY’s City as Canvas exhibition,” says Sean Corcoran, Senior Curator of Prints and Photographs at the Museum of the City of New York. “It’s a fresh, expanded look at graffiti’s rise—from the streets of New York to the walls of major galleries worldwide.”
The exhibition is packed with history, broken into sections that spotlight graffiti’s roots, its Post-Graffiti evolution, and its cultural impact. It dives into the East Village scene and the influence of early galleries like Fun Gallery and Fashion Moda, which helped elevate graffiti from street art to high art. And at its heart, the show celebrates Martin Wong’s passion for the movement and his role in preserving its legacy.
Highlights include:
Martha Cooper’s iconic photos, including work by Keith Haring;
Lee Quiñones’ monumental A Life Takes a Life (1983)
TRACY 168’s ESSY Studio sketches (1980)
Rammellzee’s Atomic Note (1986) and Atomic Futurism (1987)
A-One’s Beauty of a Beast (In Memory of Bear 167) (1987)
Henry Chalfant’s Subway Art photos featuring Skeme, Daze, and Kel Crash
DAZE’s Phobia (1983) and French Dream. Life Below Aerosol (1984)
DONDI’s Bishop of Battle (1985) from KAWS’ collection
Martin Wong’s Sharp and Dottie (1984)
A documentary by Charlie Ahearn on Wong’s groundbreaking collection.
Above Ground is not just an exhibition, it’s a celebration of a movement that changed the game forever
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Inspiration from Mark.