ShowUp Presents AEROSOL: Boston’s Graffiti DNA, its Origin and Evolution

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Nov 14th, 2024, Boston – ShowUp is pleased to announce its upcoming exhibition, AEROSOL: Boston’s Graffiti DNA, its Origin and Evolution, featuring the work of artists Timmy “Zone” Allen, Thomas “Kwest” Burns, Barrington “Vex” Edwards, Ricardo “Deme5” Gomez, Shea Justice, Chepe “Sane” Leña, Rob Stull and David “DS7” Taylor. Archival photography by John Brewer. AEROSOL will run from December 6th through February 16th. An opening reception will be held on Friday, December 6th from 5 to 8 pm. 

AEROSOL is a collaboration between journalist Jennifer Mancuso and graffiti writer Thomas “Kwest” Burns. Part historical archive, part visual study, AEROSOL follows the path of the kids who held spray cans, rode the elevated Orange Line, “the El,” racked paint, and bombed the city’s abandoned buildings. While billboards equated their artform to vandalism and gang violence, these young men honed their craft and formed a brotherhood of creatives. Fellow artists who came up under the same conditions as Kwest, practiced their skill on a canvas that wasn’t theirs to make a mark on a city that was. “We don’t exist without each other,” says Stull of his fellow exhibitors.

Pieces will include works on canvas, illustrations, scrolls, decals, and an installation. The subject matter is a focus of early influences and evokes memories of the artists’ youth- from hip hop icons to social activists to scenes of Boston. Works centering in Afro futurism and landscapes will also be on view. The show is the culmination of a five-part series by Mancuso for the bi-monthly publication Art New England exploring graffiti’s early years in Boston and its current influence into the city’s street art. The show invites these former graffiti writers to submit work in their signature style while recognizing true graffiti exists outside of an institution. “We created our own gallery,” says Kwest. 

Part of ShowUp’s Curatorial Incubator Program (SCIP), AEROSOL represents Mancuso’s first endeavor as a curator. SCIP offers the curatorial fellow professional development and resources that allow them to develop their creative vision for an exhibition. Under the mentorship of artist and curator Meclina Gomes, Mancuso has transferred her skills as an event professional to AEROSOL, offering the artists a dedicated place to display their works in a space where they often have been excluded. ShowUp aims to further this ethos in creating an innovative environment for underrepresented artists.

For more information about the exhibition or its events please visit showupinc.org or reach out to the gallery via contact@showupinc.org. 

About the Curator

Jennifer Mancuso received her MA in Writing from the New Hampshire Institute of Art in 2019. Focusing primarily on local BIPOC artists, she is a freelance writer for Art New England with several write ups receiving the distinction of cover article since her start in 2021. In addition to serving as a panelist for Art New England, Follow Your Arts Studio, and the New Commonwealth Fund, all located in Massachusetts, Mancuso has also been a returning guest speaker for Parsons School of Design in New York City. Mancuso is the author of Adams Media 2007 publication of The Everything Guide to Event Planning and is currently completing a series of novels on her experience growing up biracial while passing in the shadow of the Boston Busing Crisis. The author lives in Boston with her two daughters and two Wheaten Terriers.

About ShowUp 

ShowUp is a 501c3-designated art activism-focused exhibition, education, and community-building space, creating an innovative environment for underrepresented artists' voices and visions. It exhibits art activists and engages in its own art activism. ShowUp promotes its mission via its “Three Es": Exhibitions, Education, and Engagement.

Its mission is to

CONNECT artists to local communities and beyond 

AMPLIFY artists and their voices

PROVIDE artists tools for self-sufficiency

EMPOWER artists and curators to experiment, learn, and have meaningful exchanges 

Learn more on its website and Instagram.

# # #