LA II

Last updated
LA II
A98I1664.tif
Born
Angel Ortiz

1967 (age 56–57)
Lower East Side, New York, US
EducationSelf-taught
Known for

Angel Ortiz (born 1967), known publicly as LA II or LA2 (meaning "Little Angel"), [1] is an American graffiti artist and visual artist of Puerto Rican descent from the Lower East Side who is known for his collaborations with Keith Haring. Ortiz's contributions to Haring's work, including his trademark graffiti infill squiggles, have notably been obscured by the art establishment, which has prompted Ortiz's supporters, including artist, photographer, and videographer Clayton Patterson, to publicly uplift Ortiz's work and ask for credit to be given. [1] [2] [3] [4]

Contents

Life and career

Ortiz has created graffiti art since at the age of ten. Starting in the mid-1970s, he tagged in New York's Lower East Side under the moniker LA2. At the age of thirteen, his subway tags caught the attention of Keith Haring in 1980. [1] Haring was reportedly inspired by Ortiz's artistry and the two began collaborating. [3] At the age of sixteen, Ortiz was in contact with Basquiat and Andy Warhol. [5] In 1982, Ortiz and Haring collaborated for an exhibition at the Tony Shafrazi Gallery in New York. [3]

In a 1992 biography on Haring's life, Haring stated "We just immediately hit it off. It's as if we'd known each other all our lives. He's like my little brother." Kenny Scharf, artist and friend of Haring's, recalled "Keith treated him as a true collaborator; he didn't treat him like some little kid, which he actually was, really. He respected him and gave him half of whatever they collaborated on." [1] Ortiz confirmed that he was paid for his work during Haring's lifetime. However, Ortiz stopped receiving payment from Haring's estate following his death. According to scholar Ricardo Montez, the Haring Foundation has "since made strides to rectify LA2's erasure." [3]

Although his collaborator Haring began to be shown in galleries, Ortiz did not receive comparable success. By the early 1990s, Ortiz's contributions were largely forgotten and ignored. [1] He became addicted to heroin and served eight months in prison for possession. Between 1987 and 2002 Ortiz was arrested at least nine times. In 2003, he was arrested for marijuana possession. [2]

In 2008, Ortiz and Clayton Patterson added black lines to a Haring mural that was re-created at the intersection of Houston and Bowery streets in order to draw attention to the erasure that Ortiz has faced from Haring's artistic career. Ortiz stated, "when I was painting that mural, I didn't feel like it was me, I felt like it was Keith's spirit in me [...] I don't want to be rich and famous. What keeps me going is my art. I wanted to show the foundation: This is LA II, this is how it all started." [1] In an interview, Ortiz relayed to The New York Sun that "the executive director of the Haring Foundation, Julia Gruen, [has] repeatedly asked him to help authenticate Haring works in preparation for sale at auction houses such as Sotheby's while refusing his request for recognition by the foundation." [6]

In 2011, Ortiz was arrested three times in short succession for tagging his famed LA II and LA ROC monikers throughout the Lower East Side. Ortiz stated his graffiti spree came as a result of his wife's death, who had died earlier that year in January after a liver transplant: "I used the street as a canvas to express myself. It's an emotional thing that I'm still going through." [5] Ortiz was arrested for a third time right before the opening of his show at Dorian Grey Gallery and the show suffered as a result. At the time of his arrest, Ortiz stated "I shouldn't have done it. I knew sooner or later I was going to get arrested." Friend Ramona Lugo stated, "You know how many times I had arguments with him because he was going to do graffiti? He knew not to do that, [but] he's still got that mentality. That is the mentality of the graffiti artist." [7] Ortiz was sentenced to prison at Rikers Island for 45 days for the tagging. Hearing of the sentence, Lugo added "I'm heartbroken for him because I know he's hurting. He's going though hell in there. He doesn't belong in there. He's a good person." [8] After his release, Ortiz stated "I went there for graffiti and got transformed into a gladiator. They got all the gangs in there: the Bloods, the Latin Kings." Ortiz stated that the jail time gave him an opportunity to reflect and gave him new inspiration. [5] [9]

In 2020, Clayton Patterson described Ortiz as follows:

LA2's struggle and history make him important to me. He was a young Puerto Rican kid who came to me for help. He had joined the Keith Haring circus at 15. Keith had the barking dog and the radiant baby. But it's graphics, not fine art. LA2 created the fill-ins. Those little symbols in Keith's work are LA2's signatures. Keith and LA2 were a collaboration, and people don't talk about their work that way. LA2 was not just the help. The art establishment has shafted him. [10]

Patterson credited the erasure of Ortiz to racism in the art world. [4]

Key exhibitions

On September 30, 2022, Ortiz had his debut solo show with D'Stassi Art Gallery in Shoreditch, London. Angel created over 30 new large-scale paintings for the show – his first in the UK in over 40 years. [11] [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Graffiti</span> Drawings and paintings on walls

Graffiti is writing or drawings made on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from simple written "monikers" to elaborate wall paintings, and has existed since ancient times, with examples dating back to ancient Egypt, ancient Greece, and the Roman Empire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jean-Michel Basquiat</span> American artist (1960–1988)

Jean-Michel Basquiat was an American artist who rose to success during the 1980s as part of the Neo-expressionism movement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keith Haring</span> American artist and social activist (1958–1990)

Keith Allen Haring was an American artist whose pop art emerged from the New York City graffiti subculture of the 1980s. His animated imagery has "become a widely recognized visual language". Much of his work includes sexual allusions that turned into social activism by using the images to advocate for safe sex and AIDS awareness. In addition to solo gallery exhibitions, he participated in renowned national and international group shows such as documenta in Kassel, the Whitney Biennial in New York, the São Paulo Biennial, and the Venice Biennale. The Whitney Museum held a retrospective of his art in 1997.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tracy 168</span> American graffiti artist (1958-2023)

Michael Christopher Tracy, known as Tracy 168, was an American graffiti artist. He pioneered the art form known as wildstyle. Tracy 168 came to be known as one of the most influential graffiti and street artists of all time, as variations of wildstyle writing spread around the world. He is acknowledged to have been a seminal figure in the development of street art. Books about 1970s graffiti feature his car-long paintings with their characteristic kinetic script embellished with flames, arrows as well as cartoon characters and the "Tracy face," a grinning shaggy-haired visage in wrap-around shades.

Michael Jerome Stewart was an African-American man who received recognition after his death following an arrest by New York City Transit Police for writing graffiti in soft-tip marker or using an aerosol can on a New York City Subway wall at the First Avenue station. His treatment while in police custody and the ensuing trials of the arresting officers sparked debate concerning police brutality and the responsibilities of arresting officials in handling suspects. This was a widely publicized episode in New York City's history of police brutality cases.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dondi (graffiti artist)</span> American graffiti artist (1961–98)

Donald Joseph White, "DONDI" was an American graffiti artist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SJK 171</span> American graffiti artist

SJK 171, a.k.a.Steve the Greek is a New York City graffiti artist who was active during the late 1960s and 1970s. A native of Washington Heights, he was a founding member of United Graffiti Artists, one of the first professional graffiti collectives.

SAMO is a graffiti tag originally used on the streets of New York City from 1978 to 1980. The tag, written with a copyright symbol as "SAMO©", and pronounced Same-Oh, is primarily associated with the artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, but was originally developed as a collaboration between Basquiat and Al Diaz.

Clayton Patterson is a Canadian-born artist, photographer, videographer and folk historian. Since moving to New York City in 1979, his work has focused almost exclusively on documenting the art, life and times of the Lower East Side in Manhattan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smear (graffiti artist)</span> American graffiti artist

Cristian Gheorghiu is a Romanian born street artist/graffiti artist and under the name of Smear in the 2000s. He's been referred to as "a subculture sensation" and his work has appeared in contemporary art galleries, and a solo museum exhibit in 2009. He was also a defendant in a civil lawsuit filed by the L.A. City attorney's office, a lawsuit which largely because of its First Amendment implications has garnered the attention of international media, including the Huffington Post, L.A. Weekly, the Los Angeles Times, and the Associated Press.

Michael Anthony Pegues is an African American visual artist living in New York City.

Kunle Martins is an American artist. He was born in 1980 in New York, where he currently lives and works. In 1997, Martins founded IRAK, a graffiti crew that included Dash Snow, Dan Colen and Ryan McGinley among others.

<i>Defacement (The Death of Michael Stewart)</i> 1983 painting by Jean-Michel Basquiat

The Death of MichaelStewart, known as Defacement, is a painting created by American artist Jean-Michel Basquiat in 1983. The artwork is Basquiat's response to anti-Black racism and police brutality. It memorializes the death of Michael Stewart at the hands of New York City Transit Police for allegedly writing graffiti in the subway. No graffiti was found, according to Stewart's girlfriend at the time of his death.

The Fun Gallery was an art gallery founded by Patti Astor and Bill Stelling in 1981. The Fun Gallery had a cultural impact until it closed in 1985. As the first art gallery in Manhattan's East Village, it exposed New York to the talents of street art by showcasing graffiti artists like Fab 5 Freddy, Futura 2000, Lee Quiñones, Zephyr, Dondi, Lady Pink, and ERO. Contemporary artists Kenny Scharf, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Keith Haring also had solo exhibitions at the Fun Gallery.

<i>A Pile of Crowns for Jean-Michel Basquiat</i> 1988 painting by Keith Haring

A Pile of Crowns for Jean-Michel Basquiat is a 1988 painting created by American artist Keith Haring. The artwork was made to memorialize his friend, artist Jean-Michel Basquiat. It depicts a towering pile of Basquiat's trademark crowns.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atlas (graffiti artist)</span> American designer

Rick Ordonez, also known as Atlas and known colloquially as the "kitty cat tagger," is an American graphic designer and graffiti artist from Alhambra, California.

<i>Andy Mouse</i> 1986 series of paintings by Keith Haring

Andy Mouse is a series of silkscreen prints created by American artist Keith Haring in 1986. The character Andy Mouse is a fusion between Disney's Mickey Mouse and Andy Warhol. The series consists of four silkscreen prints on wove paper, released in an edition of 30 per colorway, all signed and dated in pencil by Haring and Warhol.

The Keith Haring Mural is a mural created in 1984 by American artist Keith Haring. Located in Collingwood, Melbourne, the mural was added to the Victorian Heritage Register in 2004 for its historical, aesthetic and social significance to the State of Victoria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Utah & Ether</span> American graffiti artist duo

Danielle E. "Utah" Bremner and Jim Clay "Ether" Harper VI are American graffiti artists, dubbed the "Bonnie and Clyde of the graffiti world". They have tagged trains and buildings in over 30 countries on five continents, and have made books and videos about their exploits. They have also been arrested, fined, and served multiple prison sentences for vandalism. Their use of social media has been used as an example in a book about graffiti artists, and they have been the subjects of a video exhibit and a song.

Scooter LaForge is an American artist based in New York's East Village. He is a painter and sculptor, and has a line of clothing for Patricia Field and has collaborated with other fashion designers. LaForge's work is "inspired by the old masters, cute fluffy animals, and sometimes iconic cartoons," drawing from a number of pop culture and artistic references, ranging from Disney and Popeye to Keith Haring and Rembrandt.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Koppel, Niko (5 August 2008). "Little Angel Was Here: A Keith Haring Collaborator Makes His Mark". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 25 January 2021. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
  2. 1 2 "LA II tagged with robbery, menacing with a knife". AMNY. 4 August 2016. Archived from the original on 15 July 2024. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Rodriguez, Mathew (30 April 2019). "Keith Haring's Iconic Work Was Inspired by Black and Brown Culture". Out Magazine.
  4. 1 2 Patterson, Clayton (25 June 2020). "LA II deserves his due: Tagger was key to Keith Haring's art". The Village Sun.
  5. 1 2 3 Rex Brown, Stephen (3 June 2011). "Packing Away His Spray Paint". The Local East Village. Archived from the original on 26 January 2022. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
  6. ↑ Orden, Erica (1 August 2008). "Haring's 'Silent Partner' Speaks". The New York Sun. Archived from the original on 8 November 2020. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
  7. ↑ Hedlund, Patrick (26 April 2011). "Street Artist's Gallery Show Flops As He Sits in Jail". dnainfo. Archived from the original on 30 August 2011. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
  8. ↑ Hedlund, Patrick (27 April 2011). "Artist Busted for Graffiti During Gallery Show Ordered Back to Jail". dnainfo. Archived from the original on 2 July 2018. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
  9. ↑ Vartanian, Hrag (26 April 2011). "2 Artists, 2 Coasts, Both in Jail for Graffiti". Hyperallergic. Archived from the original on 4 February 2023. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
  10. ↑ Kaminer, Michael (7 August 2020). "Great Escapes: Artist and Photographer Clayton Patterson's Five Essential Downtown New York Creators". Barron's. Archived from the original on 24 September 2020. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
  11. ↑ Muk, Isaac. "The story of Angel Ortiz, Keith Haring's overlooked collaborator". i-d.vice.com. Archived from the original on 2022-10-07. Retrieved 2022-10-07.
  12. ↑ Gordon, Len. "Angel Ortiz (LA II) Talks Haring, Graffiti, 80s New York And His New Exhibition". artplugged.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2022-12-30. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.