Leon Reid IV
Encyclopedia
Leon Reid IV, also known as VERBS also known as Darius Jones, (born September 18, 1979) is an American
artist widely credited as being among the pioneers of 21st century street art
. His brief creative output is marked by numerous phases, several of which are known by separate alter-egos.
in Cincinnati, Ohio
in 1995, at the age of 15. He was attracted to the traditional uses of spray paint, markers, wild style
lettering and black-book culture as first developed by graffiti writers in Philadelphia and New York City
a quarter of a century earlier. Leon IV chose VERBS as his tag (graffiti identity) by watching a video by underground hip-hop group The Nonce
. "I saw this fat guy rapping
on T.V.... he had a big black sweatshirt that read "VERBS" in the middle of it...I badly needed a name and for some reason it seemed to have the right feel " He said in conversation. As VERBS, Leon IV engaged in numerous street bombing missions (graffiti made on urban
infrastructure typically at night) with his friend MERZ, also a young graffiti writer. Street bombing, the dominant vehicle of graffiti expression after the era of New York City train writing ended in the late 1980s, could be just as dangerous as train writing. One night after painting graffiti on a rooftop with MERZ, Leon IV fell off the side of a building while descending its back wall. A sharp object in the alley below made a laceration in his left leg on impact, for which he "still bears the scar" he claimed in an off the record statement.
, an annual hip-hop festival held in August. Among the most influential visiting artist was Philadelphia writer Steven Powers (a.k.a. ESPO
). Leon IV began to adopt ESPO's recent strategy of applying illegal graffiti in daylight, while absorbing the tactics of advert manipulation as developed by Ron English, and graffiti writers Barry Mcgee
(a.k.a.TWIST) and KAWS. As a result, Leon IV consolidated his influences into a functioning street installation
program by placing road signs and altered adverts in broad daylight under the guise of a city ordained construction worker
. Pivotal to the new process was Leon IV's childhood friend and artist Andre Hyland (a.k.a Buddy Lembeck) who participated in these initial street installations and added a white construction hard hat to the disguise. A reflective vest would be added to the costume after Leon IV's stay in Brooklyn.
, NY in 1998 proved transitional. While attending Pratt Institute
he met film students Quenell Jones and Brad Downey
. The pair were interested in filming a documentary (later titled Public Discourse) on the burgeoning New York street art scene and asked Leon IV if he would be their first subject. With Leon IV's approval, the three became a street art trio, often executing and filming installations simultaneously. After months behind the camera, Downey began assisting in Leon IV's installations and gradually shifted gears from documentarian to street artist.
, 2008.
While on summer break ('00) in Cincinnati. Leon IV made a drastic creative decision. He put a complete end to writing VERBS, and at the suggestion of friend Andre Hyland, began signing his new works under the pen-name Darius Jones (a faux
name he gave to a reporter when interviewed as VERBS). The new vein of work was characterized by sweeping roller-paint graffiti laced with positive and witty messages. The artist Swoon
recalled:
based genre to work increasingly with steel, pushing the limits of 3-dimensional street art, a then scantly explored possibility of the art form, with the exception of J.J. Veronis and Revs. Furthermore, by providing official titles to his illegal works, such as "Fleur D'acier" and "The Kiss", Leon IV urged the public to consider street art as more than a random act of vandalism. On his return to Brooklyn, he shared his new developments with Downey who by then had become a practicing street artist.
to attend graduate studies at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design
. Downey made the move to England
as well and the two resumed their street collaborations from a distinctly British
standpoint. This period in both the output of Leon IV and Downey is noted for a highly subversive approach to street art.
(2004). When curator Scott Burnham asked him to comment further on his creative process for British based ICON magazine Leon IV stated:
an and British press.
" Leon IV briefly describes the benefits of working with permission after completing a city commissioned sculpture: "Reid said it would have been impossible to install all three pieces illegally."[he said] "I can do so much more with permission, I can go bigger, for one, and the possibility of getting a budget is also there."
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
artist widely credited as being among the pioneers of 21st century street art
Street art
Street art is any art developed in public spaces — that is, "in the streets" — though the term usually refers to unsanctioned art, as opposed to government sponsored initiatives...
. His brief creative output is marked by numerous phases, several of which are known by separate alter-egos.
Early Graffiti in Cincinnati
Leon IV began writing graffitiGraffiti
Graffiti is the name for images or lettering scratched, scrawled, painted or marked in any manner on property....
in Cincinnati, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
in 1995, at the age of 15. He was attracted to the traditional uses of spray paint, markers, wild style
Wild Style
Wild Style is a 1983 hip hop film produced by Charlie Ahearn. Released theatrically in 1983 by First Run Features and later re-released for home video by Rhino Home Video, it is regarded as the first hip hop motion picture...
lettering and black-book culture as first developed by graffiti writers in Philadelphia and New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
a quarter of a century earlier. Leon IV chose VERBS as his tag (graffiti identity) by watching a video by underground hip-hop group The Nonce
The Nonce
For Craig Gibb see NonceThe Nonce was a hip-hop duo from Los Angeles, California, that was active in the 1990s...
. "I saw this fat guy rapping
Rapping
Rapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...
on T.V.... he had a big black sweatshirt that read "VERBS" in the middle of it...I badly needed a name and for some reason it seemed to have the right feel " He said in conversation. As VERBS, Leon IV engaged in numerous street bombing missions (graffiti made on urban
Urban area
An urban area is characterized by higher population density and vast human features in comparison to areas surrounding it. Urban areas may be cities, towns or conurbations, but the term is not commonly extended to rural settlements such as villages and hamlets.Urban areas are created and further...
infrastructure typically at night) with his friend MERZ, also a young graffiti writer. Street bombing, the dominant vehicle of graffiti expression after the era of New York City train writing ended in the late 1980s, could be just as dangerous as train writing. One night after painting graffiti on a rooftop with MERZ, Leon IV fell off the side of a building while descending its back wall. A sharp object in the alley below made a laceration in his left leg on impact, for which he "still bears the scar" he claimed in an off the record statement.
Proto-Street Art/ VERBS
The late 1990s brought waves of graffiti artists through Cincinnati by way of Scribble JamScribble Jam
Scribble Jam was an annual hip hop music festival hosted in Cincinnati, Ohio. Dubbed "America's largest hip hop festival", it was co-founded in 1996 by "Fat" Nick Accurso, and Jason Brunson, founders of graffiti magazine Scribble, and DJ Mr Dibbs, in the parking lot of a local nightclub...
, an annual hip-hop festival held in August. Among the most influential visiting artist was Philadelphia writer Steven Powers (a.k.a. ESPO
ESPO (artist)
Stephen J. Powers is a New York City artist who at one time wrote graffiti in Philadelphia and New York under the name ESPO .-Background:...
). Leon IV began to adopt ESPO's recent strategy of applying illegal graffiti in daylight, while absorbing the tactics of advert manipulation as developed by Ron English, and graffiti writers Barry Mcgee
Barry McGee
Barry McGee is a painter and graffiti artist. He is also known by monikers such as Ray Fong, Lydia Fong, Bernon Vernon, P.Kin, Ray Virgil, Twist and further variations of Twist, such as Twister, Twisty, Twisto and others.-Life and career:McGee graduated from El Camino High School in South...
(a.k.a.TWIST) and KAWS. As a result, Leon IV consolidated his influences into a functioning street installation
Street installation
Street installations are a growing trend within the "street art" movement. Whereas conventional street art/graffiti is done on surfaces/walls "street installations" use 3-D objects/space to enhance/interact/interfere with the urban environment . Like graffiti, it is non-permission based and once...
program by placing road signs and altered adverts in broad daylight under the guise of a city ordained construction worker
Construction worker
A construction worker or builder is a professional, tradesman, or labourer who directly participates in the physical construction of infrastructure.-Construction trades:...
. Pivotal to the new process was Leon IV's childhood friend and artist Andre Hyland (a.k.a Buddy Lembeck) who participated in these initial street installations and added a white construction hard hat to the disguise. A reflective vest would be added to the costume after Leon IV's stay in Brooklyn.
New York Period/Darius Jones
Leon IV's Move to BrooklynBrooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, NY in 1998 proved transitional. While attending Pratt Institute
Pratt Institute
Pratt Institute is a private art college in New York City located in Brooklyn, New York, with satellite campuses in Manhattan and Utica. Pratt is one of the leading undergraduate art schools in the United States and offers programs in Architecture, Graphic Design, History of Art and Design,...
he met film students Quenell Jones and Brad Downey
Brad Downey
Brad Downey is an American artist. He uses film, sculpture, painting and drawing to reflect on concepts about the Establishment versus the audience. Downey currently lives in Berlin.-Biography:...
. The pair were interested in filming a documentary (later titled Public Discourse) on the burgeoning New York street art scene and asked Leon IV if he would be their first subject. With Leon IV's approval, the three became a street art trio, often executing and filming installations simultaneously. After months behind the camera, Downey began assisting in Leon IV's installations and gradually shifted gears from documentarian to street artist.
As author Ed Zipco writes in "The Adventures of Darius and Downey". Thames & Hudson
"Brad soon found himself working alongside Leon, eventually donning a costume himself...Leon remembered exactly how it felt to be new to the scene, how hard it was to learn the ropes and secrets...So he willingly took Brad under his wing. He shared all of his years of experience, all the trials and errors, never making Brad pay his dues to nearly the degree expected of him earlier in his own career."
Thames & Hudson
Thames & Hudson is a publisher of illustrated books on art, architecture, design, and visual culture. With its headquarters in London, England it has a sister company in New York and subsidiaries in Melbourne, Singapore and Hong Kong...
, 2008.
While on summer break ('00) in Cincinnati. Leon IV made a drastic creative decision. He put a complete end to writing VERBS, and at the suggestion of friend Andre Hyland, began signing his new works under the pen-name Darius Jones (a faux
Fake
Fake means not real.Fake may also refer to:In music:* Fake , a Swedish synthpop band active in the 1980s*Fake?, a Japanese rock band* Fake , 2010 song by Ai featuring Namie Amuro...
name he gave to a reporter when interviewed as VERBS). The new vein of work was characterized by sweeping roller-paint graffiti laced with positive and witty messages. The artist Swoon
Swoon
Swoon may refer to:*Fainting*"Swoon" , a 2009 song by Imogen Heap from the album Ellipse*"Swoon" , a 2010 single by The Chemical Brothers*Swoon , the second album by Silversun Pickups...
recalled:
"In one conversation with Darius, he told me how he realized there was already so much negativity in the city, especially within the public's perception of graffiti." [he said] "Why don't we try to make something that is big and illegal and positive?"
Style Shift
As Darius Jones, Leon IV developed a, lyrical, romantic quality that separated further from his work as VERBS. Moreover, he leaped from a primarily aerosolAerosol
Technically, an aerosol is a suspension of fine solid particles or liquid droplets in a gas. Examples are clouds, and air pollution such as smog and smoke. In general conversation, aerosol usually refers to an aerosol spray can or the output of such a can...
based genre to work increasingly with steel, pushing the limits of 3-dimensional street art, a then scantly explored possibility of the art form, with the exception of J.J. Veronis and Revs. Furthermore, by providing official titles to his illegal works, such as "Fleur D'acier" and "The Kiss", Leon IV urged the public to consider street art as more than a random act of vandalism. On his return to Brooklyn, he shared his new developments with Downey who by then had become a practicing street artist.
London Period
In the Fall of 2003 Leon IV moved to LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to attend graduate studies at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design
Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design
Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London. The school has an outstanding international reputation, and is considered one of the world's leading art and design institutions...
. Downey made the move to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
as well and the two resumed their street collaborations from a distinctly British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
standpoint. This period in both the output of Leon IV and Downey is noted for a highly subversive approach to street art.
Wrote Gavin Lucas for London design magazine Creative Review
"Last year, sharp-eyed Londoners may have noticed a three-foot high sheet metal figure painted green in the classic pedestrian crossing pose, looking for all the world like it was about to cross Tottenham Court RoadTottenham Court RoadTottenham Court Road is a major road in central London, United Kingdom, running from St Giles Circus north to Euston Road, near the border of the City of Westminster and the London Borough of Camden, a distance of about three-quarters of a mile...
...Meanwhile Bristolians may have come across a metal sculpture of a spider installed on a bricked-up window of an unoccupied house...Even fewer people will know who is behind these and many more unsigned sculptures- two American artists now operating in the UK, Darius and Downey."
Creative Review
Creative Review is a monthly magazine targeted on the commercial arts and design scene. Creative Review has a circulation of around 20,000 readers. In general it focuses content on media originating in United Kingdom, Europe, and the United States, showcasing some of the best contemporary...
(2004). When curator Scott Burnham asked him to comment further on his creative process for British based ICON magazine Leon IV stated:
Due to their similarities in style, Leon IV and Downey are referred to collectively as Darius and Downey first in Europe
"I occasionally stumble upon an area so devoid of either life or humour that I have an incredible urge to contribute something. This is when I take pictures of the area, study them and develop a piece around what exactly is missing from the space. I look at it like a tailor measuring a client to make the best fitting suit, or a doctor examining a patient to prescribe the right medication."
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an and British press.
Current Phase
Leon IV's approach to art changed once again upon his return to Brooklyn in early 2005. He continued to make street art but increasingly accepted credit under his legal name before grinding to a complete halt in all illicit installations -effectively ending his work as Darius Jones and the Darius and Downey partnership. The swift change, similar to his detachment from VERBS, caught a number of street art enthusiasts by surprise. In an article appearing in The Post-Standard entitled "Brooklyn artist is legal in SyracuseSyracuse, New York
Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...
" Leon IV briefly describes the benefits of working with permission after completing a city commissioned sculpture: "Reid said it would have been impossible to install all three pieces illegally."[he said] "I can do so much more with permission, I can go bigger, for one, and the possibility of getting a budget is also there."
Video
- "How To Become Invisible" video http://graffitiresearchlab.com/leon_reid/how2be_invisible_splitAudio_01_WEB.mov
- Overpass Graffiti channel 19 News http://www.blondchili.com/movies/overpas.html
- The Nonce video http://youtube.com/watch?v=AY5U6vPusEM
Selected bibliography
- Zipco, Ed. "The Adventures of Darius and Downey: And other True Tales of Street Art, As Told to Ed Zipco", Thames&Hudson (2008) ISBN 0500513953.
- C100. "The Art of Rebellion 2": World of Urban Activism, Publikat (2006) ISBN 3-9809909-4-x
- Burns,Kelly. "New York Street Art", Die Gestalten Verlag GmbH&Co.KG (2005) ISBN 3-89955-083-8
- Vartanian,Ivan,Martin,Leslie A. "Graphiscape New York City", Rotovision SA (2003) ISBN 2-88046-767-5
External links
- TIME Magazine feature article http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1118377-2,00.html
- The New York Times feature article http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/01/nyregion/thecity/01pole.html?_r=1&n=Top/Reference/Times%20Topics/Subjects/V/Vandalism&oref=slogin
- Post-Standard feature article http://www.syracuse.com/articles/news/index.ssf?/base/news-12/1192784451203660.xml&coll=1
- Wooster Collective podcast http://www.woostercollective.com/2005/03/wooster_podcast_9_on_the_stree_1.html
- Leon IV website http://www.leonthe4th.com