RAP PAGES 
(March 1997 Issue)




Truth or Dare
Graffiti Verite's Bob Bryan continue to prove that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
 
        Last year Graffiti Verite', the incisive documentary on the lives of L.A. graffiti artists, blew up like no other graff video to date, leaving behind an unprecedented trail of award recognition, media exposure and education about the art form. Bob Bryan, director, producer and director of photography on the film, accomplished what no other videographer had yet been able to do: create a graffiti documentary with mainstream crossover appeal. "I managed to promote the video in a way that didn't just reach some of the old heads that were already in the life, but turn on people that didn't know anything about graffiti or that had a prejudice against graffiti," Bryan points out. The film maker particularly targeted gallery people, educators, librarians and institutions that could be an asset for Hip-Hop and graffiti art in a financial sense.

        Bryan's aesthetic and technical skills have been acknowledged with film and video competitions worldwide, including the prestigious Golden Eagle Award as well as a Golden Apple Award- not to mention that he's also up for an Emmy this year. 1997 also finds Bryan taking it to another level by legitimizing graffiti art on an international scale through the creation of the First Annual Graffiti Art Competition.

         "I'm taking the credibility that Graffiti Verite' has established and bringing a lot of graffiti art to the attention of major institutions and educational [organizations]," he says. "I've been successful with being able to bring Los Angeles graffiti artists up, and now what I want to do is bring the international community of Hip-Hop and graffiti to the attention of a worldwide audience." Bryan's sole purpose for the establishment of the 1997 International Graffiti Art Competition is to  "... create a forum for the serious examination, illumination, appreciation and recognition of this worldwide art form and phenomenon." Submissions will be accepted in the form of photographs or video, and each candidate can submit up to ten entries. Categories to be judged include: canvas, collage, computer(cyberspace), mixed media installations, pen and ink, sculpture, tattoos and walls (murals and pieces). The winners will be chosen by a jury of their peers, and the competition will also host distinguished guests from the field of contemporary art and film to serve as impartial judges. All entries must be postmarked by July 4, 1997.

- Ben Higa

 

For info on the Graffiti Verite' video, call (213) 993-6163. For info and an application for the International Graffiti Art Competition, call (213) 860-9845, or go to the website at: http://www.graffitiverite.com

Contact Bryan World Production c/o International Graffiti Art Competition '97, P.O. Box 74033, Los Angeles, California 90004, USA.