First Amendment
1000 Howard St. San Francisco, CA 94103 | Thursday – Saturday 12 to 6pm 415.861.5089 | info@1amsf.com

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Press Release - From Tags to Riches by Jim Prigoff

Image Courtesy of James Prigoff

Image Courtesy of James Prigoff

First Amendment Gallery

From Tags to Riches

James Prigoff

Opening Reception - February 7th 6:30-10pm

Showing Through  February 29th

info@1amsf.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - First Amendment Gallery is pleased to announce “From Tags to Riches,” a retrospective photography exhibition highlighting the career of photographer, lecturer, and author James Prigoff. 

From its humble beginnings, graffiti was a bold, albeit fleeting, act of defiance. Whether a declaration of love, a visual act of social unrest, or simply a marker of existence, graffiti (and it’s more preoccupied counterpart, street art) has been a tool of the people, for the people. James (Jim) Prigoff was one of the first to notice and capture the movement sweeping urban landscapes in the states as well as abroad and, along with his contemporaries Martha Cooper and Henry Chalfant, has dedicated himself to documenting the impermanent artform. With Henry Chalfant he went on to co-author “Spraycan Art,” a trailblazing account of the greater impact of graffiti on contemporary culture as it was taking shape. Prigoff’s photographic works have preserved the evolution and legacy of graffiti while also putting a spotlight on predominantly under-represented writers and muralists. 

For “From Tags to Riches,” Prigoff has selected his most memorable images, bringing forth the roots of graffiti and mural arts to contemporary times. This exhibition will also include a selection of images specific to the Bay Area, including rare photos of Psycho City, a now-defunct graffiti playground where writers and muralists of all levels and crews freely expanded on their art, as well as a closing reception special screening of “Who Is Taki 183” on February 29th.

In addition to this retrospective exhibition, First Amendment Gallery has organized some of the Bay Area’s pioneering graffiti writers of the 80s to re-create their iconic pieces, as preserved by Prigoff’s photographs, across several landmark San Francisco walls throughout 2020.

James Prigoff is a world-renowned documentarian, photographer, author, and lecturer on the subject of murals and spraycan art. He has been photographing in public spaces domestically and abroad for over 40 years and counting. His co-authored seminal photography book chronicling the beginnings of graffiti and mural art, “Spraycan Art,” has sold over 250,000 copies world-wide since it was released in 1987 and his photographs have been exhibited around the globe throughout his career, most recently at Beyond the Streets NYC, Oakland Museum of California, and the Broad in Los Angeles. 

First Amendment Gallery invites you to join us at 1000 Howard St. in San Francisco on Friday February 7th from 6:30 to 7:30pm for a special presentation by James Prigoff with the opening reception of “From Tags to Riches” until 10:00pm to follow. For further inquiries on the artist or available works, please contact info@1amsf.com. 

Daniel Pan