Down Graphitti Alley...

One of the passions I have when I have travelled is to hunt graphitti. Oh, I had seen a little bit here and there that was incorporated in clubs like Club That and in Old Skool...but there is something about running into the scrawled messages. Art or angst...for years I photographed these images...because graphitti tells you what is brewing underneath the surface of any society. It is almost like truth serum. That everything isn't OK. Most people avoid these areas, they avoid the people associated with the areas. For some, a building is their canvas. The work for public viewing. I have written this posting for a friend, who I went to high school with, and had the pleasure of working with in radio (many, many years ago), Steve Rotman. He is honestly someone I had expected to conquer the world of journalism. Steve, true to form, followed his passions of jazz and photography in San Fransisco...rather than follow the expectations of others. Many in our group realized there was a great big world out there as we left the frozen tundra of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Steve was just someone I admired. There was something that clashed with the button-up shirts that said "I am not what I appear to be."

There was a large pool of talent that I had the pleasure of growing up with. Steve was one of them. Steve Rotman, has just published his work on San Francisco Graphitti, *Bay Area Graphitti with Chris Brennan. This isn't just a plug for a book...if you are into exploring "graphing" Steve has captured some of the most incredible shots you will ever seen in the world of graphitti.

These images are the first finds for me in South Korea. I noticed the attempt, "Some were over the rainbow".

An obviously angered anti-police message. I can tell you, that with all of the cameras that are around in Daegu, I was honestly surprised to see this on a wall. Big brother is always watching.

So down this little alley, away from the cameras...a mini explosion of rebellion, and a plea to "Go and save your soul..."