Wild in the streets

Back in the 1970s, it was little more than an eyesore, another scary reminder of pervasive urban decay as street gangs staked out their neighborhood turf with coded messages spray-painted on every available public surface. But by the 1980s, some graffiti had started to evolve into increasingly elaborate and sophisticated pieces of street art. And some of its more accomplished practitioners like Jean-Michel Basquiat ultimately refined it into a “wild style” that has now earned its very own official retrospective.

This weekend kicks off ART IN THE STREETS, running from April 15-23 as a series of film screenings, talk panels and workshops examining the graffiti art movement. Major pieces will be on display at the Geffen Contemporary wing of downtown’s Museum of Contemporary Art, with themed films on the topic screening at Cinefamily, located in the former Silent Movie Theatre at 611 N. Fairfax Avenue in Los Angeles.

Tickets are $10; full details can be found here.

Posted 4/14/11