Kelly "RISK" Graval

Solo exhibition

May 9, 2019 to September 4, 2019

Writing under the pseudonym RISK, Graval rose to prominence as the originator of a bright, colorful, west coast graffiti style. He pioneered “hitting up the heavens” and tagging freight trains to spread his name across the country. By the early 90’s, RISK could be seen all over Los Angeles. Steeped in the commercialism of American culture, success and fame were synonymous for a young Graval. Reflecting on his past, he said, “I wanted to be just like Coca-Cola.”

Graval’s mixed-media work follows in the rich tradition of Pop Art. Iconography from Buddhism, rock and roll, advertising, and cartoons figure prominently in his work. Working in neon translates his bright palette into light while painting on metal calls back to the many nights spent in the rail yards of Los Angeles County. Graval’s work plays with visual and material juxtapositions to both draw in and push back on the viewer. Metal, lights, paint, grit, and shine are the materials of Graval’s practice and the materials of the city that raised him.

TO BOMB AND BEAUTIFY: HOW RISK GOT UP

BY NATALIE HEGERT

Beautifully Destroyed, the name given by Kelly “RISK” Graval to his color field painting series, is an apt way to describe the paradoxical relationship between graffiti and walls. The element of destruction is embedded in the vocabulary—to hit, to bomb—as well as the ethos of graffiti, which stands in contrast to the undeniable beauty of the results—brilliant, saturated colors adorning previously blank walls with the soft diffusion and sharp lines of spray paint.

THE MORE YOU KNOW…GRAFFITI GLOSSARY

hit: To tag or bomb a surface

bomb:To apply graffiti intensively to a location. Bombers often choose to paint throw-ups or tags instead of complex pieces, as they can be executed more quickly.

Subway Art: a collaborative book by Martha Cooper and Henry Chalfant, which documents the early history of New York City’s graffiti movement. Originally published in 1984, it is known by many as ‘the bible’ of graffiti. Subway Art quickly acquired the dubious accolade of becoming one of the most stolen books in the United Kingdom.

RISK: SIGN OF THE TIMES

BY JOEL KUENNEN

Nicholas Baurriaud coined the term “semionaut” in his book Postcommodity to describe an artist who “produce[s] original pathways through signs.” You’d be hard-pressed to find a better description of legendary graffiti artist Kelly “RISK” Graval. Graffiti began as a system of place-making, signs used to demarcate contested space. It was also used as a way for individuals to become known. Both of these impulses, writing the name of a community and writing one’s own name, have the sign in common, the purpose of which is to make known.