IZ (graffiti artist)
Encyclopedia
Graffiti
Graffiti is the name for images or lettering scratched, scrawled, painted or marked in any manner on property....
writers of the New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
graffiti movement of the late 70s and early 80s.
Biography
Iz was from the New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
borough of Queens
Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
, a Rockaway Beach native. Beginning in 1972, he became a long reigning All-City king of New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, known primarily for his quick, simple two letter tag. Iz represented a new breed of fame-obsessed writers concerned with finding the perfect balance between quantity and quality. He was also featured in the 1983 documentary Style Wars
Style Wars
Style Wars is a 1983 documentary on hip hop culture, directed by Tony Silver and produced by Tony Silver and Henry Chalfant. The film has an emphasis on graffiti, although bboying and rapping are covered to a lesser extent...
. He wrote graffiti on the A train, CC train, F train, E train etc...
On September 29, 1990 Mike IZ THE WIZ Martin married Katherine M. Lucev, also from the Rockaways, in St. Rose of Lima Church in Rockaway Beach, N.Y. They continued to reside in Rockaway Beach.
From years of using toxic aerosol products without any type of protective mask, Iz was diagnosed with kidney failure in 1996. In early 2000, in an interview for Style Wars revisited, he commented that he would give up all his past fame for full health. In August of 2003 he self-curated a solo gallery exhibition in New York City showcasing his legal artwork.
IZ also had his art cameoed in the game Marc Eckō's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure
Marc Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure
Marc Eckō's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure is a video game released on February 14, 2006. It was developed by The Collective, Inc. and published by Atari under license by Marc Ecko...
.
After struggling with kidney failure for many years, Iz The Wiz died of a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
on 17 June 2009.