Graffiti party blazes with color, style

Spray-paint fumes wafted through the air, DJ Yuki of Saucy Lady Music blasted rhymes and about 15,000 visitors watched with wonder as over a dozen graffiti artists with Boston roots practiced their art at the #Off the Wall Graffiti Art Block Party at South End Open Market on Sunday, September 25 from 11:00 AM-4:00 PM at 375 Harrison Avenue.

The bright sunshine almost paled next to the vibrant designs, many homages and messages, others abstract and non-representational pieces by talent such as Brand Rockwell, Gofive, Wisogee, Imagine and Quiz. The artists worked on large wooden panels on the perimeter of the fenced-in lot as throngs of on-lookers watched and admired. Visitors could also browse dozens of art, craft, textile and jewelry vendors while sipping Sam Adams and wines from Wicked Wines.

The themes varied as widely as the artists' styles: in keeping with his past images of sports heroes, Gofive's panel was a sentimental favorite, a portrait of the beloved, outgoing Red Sox slugger David "Big Papi" Ortiz. Commenting on the event, Gofive said, "It's great. It's an opportunity for the artists to get out, working, painting and collaborating." Imagine, a native of Nepal, has been a graffiti artist for five or six years. Quiz, who was working next to Gofive, has been a graffiti artist since his early teens and has been pursuing his art for more than half his life. "With all the violence going on, I wanted to do something symbolic with the peace signs, but really, just being abstract because everyone else has a character like Big Papi here. I went with every color I have in my crate."

A native of Brighton who lives in New York, Quiz gave a nod to his roots with the Citgo sign embedded in his design. Imagine, a native of Nepal, has been in the US intermittently over the past 10 years and is currently a master's student in education at Harvard University. Her art is unique in her use of "calligraffiti", her own stylized version of the Nepali alphabet of her native land. The panel she created at Off the Wall had a dark, misty background offset with swaths of gentle colors and a Nepali message, "Imagine you can do it," in blue script.

Chris Masci, founder of New England Open Markets and operator of South End Open Market @ Ink Block explained the purpose of the event. "We have been working on a customized public art program for our sponsor, Capital One since we launched in May. The goal was to create something unique to this market and after being introduced to these street artists, we knew that collaboration with them was a must. #OFFTHEWALL was designed to showcase the untapped potential of Boston street artists and bring different groups of artists together. The vibe and energy felt throughout the market on Sunday speaks for itself and further demonstrates why art is vital to a city's fabric."