"And behind every tag is a story about survival and about striving to be seen..."

 

                                             ܔܢܜܔUrB4nUSܔܢܜܔ

José Parlá's 'Ease' tag in Brooklyn, 1996

One of the four main varieties of graffiti is tags. 

A tag, by definition, is the signature of an artist. Whether it's done with spray paint or on a piece of paper with a pen, it's the most democratic form of graffiti there is. It usually involves a logo, name, color, or design. For many, tags are the most important element an artist possesses. 

Barry McGee tagging his moniker 'Twist' in San Francisco, 2000

Tags have been considered an ancient part of our history. As humans we have an innate impulse to mark the places where we live or have been—think about children writing their names on their toys or the handprints in caves we have left since the beginning of our existence. The idea of simply stating our permanence in objects arouses the human mind. Nevertheless, tags do not become relevant just because of their shape; rather, their meaning is given by the context and intention they represent.

This form of expression was born in the late 60s in New York and Philadelphia in a melting pot of America driven by an emerging, voracious capitalism that stripped the soul of anyone and anything it reached. The longing to belong somewhere led kids to adopt a new identity on the walls of their city. Artists like Cliff 159, Taki 183, Blade, Futura, and Lady Pink were born with the sole purpose of self-expression. 70 years later, it seems the practice hasn't changed a bit. Many artists looking to leave traces of their existence have created such iconic tags that the foundation of their work relies on their tags.  

"And behind every tag is a story about survival and about striving to be seen, or a momentary reprieve from deprivation and desperation."

Stefano Bloch