Primary Flight
By Zio
Photos by Jeremiah Garcia
Once again, graff writers and street artists hit the Wynwood streets in Miami’s second installment of the internationally acclaimed, site-specific, street-level mural installation. This year’s exhibition featured today’s most respected graffiti artists local and abroad, curated by BOOKSIIII, Lynn Yohana Howard, Logan Hicks and Anthony Spinello.
Primary Flight’s original concept and soul purpose is to provide these artists with outdoor, concrete wall space, allowing them free reign to install their art as they see fit. “Although there are several factors that contributed to the organization of Primary Flight, the focus was always the same: to give artists ample space to produce their artwork uninterrupted by commercial influences,” Logan Hicks says. “The entire event was paid for out of our own pockets. We have no paid staff. We have no corporate sponsors. We only have a desire to see street art showcased in the environment where it is best suited–in the street.” Â
“Last year we had a line up of approximately 30 artists,” Hicks says. “This year we started out with 30 artists again, but once word got out that the event was going to be a yearly event, the number grew from 30 to 80 in less than three days.” Artists included Blek Le Rat, Chris Stain, Dame, David Choe, El Mac, Ewok, Kenton Parker, Retna, Revok, Reyes, Ron English, Saber and Shepard Fairey, among others.Â
“So today we are setting our sights on next year,” Hicks says. “We are trying to identify like-minded sponsors to expand the scope of Primary Flight in 2009. The ideas are still the early stage, but we will be exploring the option of doing a gallery show to accompany the event. We may print a catalogue of the completed murals, and we have considered adding speaker panels so the public can interact with the artists and curators about their intent, the future and ideas behind the event.”
For more info, visit www.primaryflight.com