Book Review: Aerosol Art Kings: Photographs of Street Art in New York City, 2018–2024

Published by Schiffer Publishing Ltd, Kurt Boone’s Aerosol Art Kings is both an expansive photographic archive and a deeply personal chronicle of New York City’s aerosol art culture. Spanning 2018 to 2024, this volume not only captures the ephemeral vibrancy of street art across the five boroughs but also documents Boone’s own six-year journey traveling the streets, festivals, and iconic venues where aerosol art thrives.

Boone’s story begins with a “lucky break” in 2018, when curator and graffiti artist James Top invited him to photograph the legendary Graffiti Hall of Fame in Harlem. There, Boone observed pioneers like Cope 2, Wane COD, Delta 2, and Skeme at work—moments that fueled his fascination with the medium and inspired his determination to document aerosol art with rigor and respect. Armed with three cameras, he spent hours pursuing the perfect shot of a mural or style-writing masterpiece, laying the groundwork for his growing catalog of books on the subject.

The book is organized into four sections—Street Art, Style Writing, Murals, and Social Justice—and features over 200 works across the city. The Street Art section highlights the creativity of uncommissioned, often short-lived works spotted on walls, alleys, and storefronts in Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, and the Bronx. Boone emphasizes the fleeting nature of these pieces: painted over within weeks or months, their existence is preserved only through his lens.

Kurt Boone

The Murals section expands the scope to monumental works created at renowned festivals like the Bushwick Collective, Welling Court, Bed-Stuy Walls, and Boone Avenue Walls. Here, internationally recognized artists such as Kobra, Danielle Mastrion, and Tats Cru appear alongside emerging voices, all united by the scale and ambition of their projects.

Imagine

Perhaps the most poignant part of the book lies in the Social Justice section. Boone recalls photographing over 400 works in Soho during the summer of 2020, when plywood storefront coverings became canvases for artists responding to the Black Lives Matter movement and the COVID-19 pandemic. Recognizing the historic significance of this moment, he published Fresh Plywood NYC: Artists Rise Up in the Age of Black Lives Matter, which earned widespread acclaim and led to further opportunities to document major mural festivals in Jersey City and Miami.

Boone’s work is enriched by his deep understanding of graffiti’s cultural history. He reflects on the term “Kings”—a title that once denoted subway writers whose names blanketed New York’s trains in the 1970s—clarifying that in Aerosol Art Kings the word signifies respect for the multitude of artists working in spray paint today. With hundreds of practitioners and even entire industries dedicated to aerosol paint production, the art form has grown far beyond its origins while retaining its raw energy and grassroots spirit.

An insightful foreword by T.K. Mills, editor in chief of Up Magazine, situates Boone’s work within the larger trajectory of aerosol art and its place in contemporary culture. Combined with Boone’s meticulous captions noting artists’ names, locations, and festival contexts, the book is as much a historical document as it is a visual celebration.

Aerosol Art Kings ultimately succeeds as both archive and homage. It preserves works that would otherwise be lost to time, while honoring the artists—famous and unknown—who continue to transform New York’s walls into public galleries. Boone’s dedication, born of countless hours wandering the city with camera in hand, elevates this book into a must-have for collectors, scholars, and anyone fascinated by the enduring power of urban creativity.

The post Book Review: Aerosol Art Kings: Photographs of Street Art in New York City, 2018–2024 first appeared on street art united states.
by Sami Wakim via street art united states

Book Review: Aerosol Art Kings: Photographs of Street Art in New York City, 2018–2024

Published by Schiffer Publishing Ltd, Kurt Boone’s Aerosol Art Kings is both an expansive photographic archive and a deeply personal chronicle of New York City’s aerosol art culture. Spanning 2018 to 2024, this volume not only captures the ephemeral vibrancy of street art across the five boroughs but also documents Boone’s own six-year journey traveling the streets, festivals, and iconic venues where aerosol art thrives.

Boone’s story begins with a “lucky break” in 2018, when curator and graffiti artist James Top invited him to photograph the legendary Graffiti Hall of Fame in Harlem. There, Boone observed pioneers like Cope 2, Wane COD, Delta 2, and Skeme at work—moments that fueled his fascination with the medium and inspired his determination to document aerosol art with rigor and respect. Armed with three cameras, he spent hours pursuing the perfect shot of a mural or style-writing masterpiece, laying the groundwork for his growing catalog of books on the subject.

The book is organized into four sections—Street Art, Style Writing, Murals, and Social Justice—and features over 200 works across the city. The Street Art section highlights the creativity of uncommissioned, often short-lived works spotted on walls, alleys, and storefronts in Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, and the Bronx. Boone emphasizes the fleeting nature of these pieces: painted over within weeks or months, their existence is preserved only through his lens.

Kurt Boone

The Murals section expands the scope to monumental works created at renowned festivals like the Bushwick Collective, Welling Court, Bed-Stuy Walls, and Boone Avenue Walls. Here, internationally recognized artists such as Kobra, Danielle Mastrion, and Tats Cru appear alongside emerging voices, all united by the scale and ambition of their projects.

Imagine

Perhaps the most poignant part of the book lies in the Social Justice section. Boone recalls photographing over 400 works in Soho during the summer of 2020, when plywood storefront coverings became canvases for artists responding to the Black Lives Matter movement and the COVID-19 pandemic. Recognizing the historic significance of this moment, he published Fresh Plywood NYC: Artists Rise Up in the Age of Black Lives Matter, which earned widespread acclaim and led to further opportunities to document major mural festivals in Jersey City and Miami.

Boone’s work is enriched by his deep understanding of graffiti’s cultural history. He reflects on the term “Kings”—a title that once denoted subway writers whose names blanketed New York’s trains in the 1970s—clarifying that in Aerosol Art Kings the word signifies respect for the multitude of artists working in spray paint today. With hundreds of practitioners and even entire industries dedicated to aerosol paint production, the art form has grown far beyond its origins while retaining its raw energy and grassroots spirit.

An insightful foreword by T.K. Mills, editor in chief of Up Magazine, situates Boone’s work within the larger trajectory of aerosol art and its place in contemporary culture. Combined with Boone’s meticulous captions noting artists’ names, locations, and festival contexts, the book is as much a historical document as it is a visual celebration.

Aerosol Art Kings ultimately succeeds as both archive and homage. It preserves works that would otherwise be lost to time, while honoring the artists—famous and unknown—who continue to transform New York’s walls into public galleries. Boone’s dedication, born of countless hours wandering the city with camera in hand, elevates this book into a must-have for collectors, scholars, and anyone fascinated by the enduring power of urban creativity.

The post Book Review: Aerosol Art Kings: Photographs of Street Art in New York City, 2018–2024 first appeared on street art united states.
by Sami Wakim via street art united states

Between Devastation and Indifference: A Christian Lebanese Reflection

As a Christian Lebanese, I cannot hide my disappointment—my own community has shown a staggering lack of empathy toward those suffering in the south. While Israeli bombs reduce villages, homes, and lives to rubble, many Christians in Beirut continue as if nothing has changed. Restaurants are full, nightlife is booming, and daily routines remain untouched, as though the war and the suffering of our southern neighbors were happening in another country altogether. This indifference is not just painful to witness—it is shameful.

Since October 2023, when the Gaza war spilled into Lebanon, southern towns and villages have endured relentless Israeli aggression. Airstrikes have killed civilians, including children, while infrastructure—homes, hospitals, water systems, farmland—has been systematically destroyed. Over 100,000 people have been displaced, forced to leave their homes and seek shelter in Beirut and elsewhere, only to face high rent, rising living costs, and scarce work opportunities. Humanitarian aid, when it comes at all, is inconsistent and uneven.

When I visited Beirut in May, the contrast was impossible to ignore. In the devastated south, the weight of war is visible everywhere: bombed-out houses, displaced families, communities reduced to ruins. Yet, drive a mere two kilometers into certain Christian neighborhoods, and you see life uninterrupted. Cafés buzz, streets glow with nightlife, and conversations rarely touch on the suffering of those just down the road. The indifference is louder than the silence of the bombs.

This moral disconnect cuts deep for me. Faith, especially Christian faith, is supposed to rest on compassion, solidarity, and care for one’s neighbor. But when fellow citizens are bombed, displaced, and stripped of dignity, and the response is indifference, then something has gone terribly wrong. To turn away, to carry on without acknowledgment, is to betray the very values we claim to uphold.

Lebanon cannot afford this kind of selective humanity. Suffering in the south is suffering for the whole nation. If we fail to recognize that, we only deepen divisions and betray our shared identity as Lebanese. I believe my community must reckon with its privilege and indifference and move toward empathy—real empathy—that transcends sectarian lines.

Because the people of the south deserve more than survival. They deserve solidarity.

The post Between Devastation and Indifference: A Christian Lebanese Reflection first appeared on street art united states.
by Sami Wakim via street art united states

Between Devastation and Indifference: A Christian Lebanese Reflection

As a Christian Lebanese, I cannot hide my disappointment—my own community has shown a staggering lack of empathy toward those suffering in the south. While Israeli bombs reduce villages, homes, and lives to rubble, many Christians in Beirut continue as if nothing has changed. Restaurants are full, nightlife is booming, and daily routines remain untouched, as though the war and the suffering of our southern neighbors were happening in another country altogether. This indifference is not just painful to witness—it is shameful.

Since October 2023, when the Gaza war spilled into Lebanon, southern towns and villages have endured relentless Israeli aggression. Airstrikes have killed civilians, including children, while infrastructure—homes, hospitals, water systems, farmland—has been systematically destroyed. Over 100,000 people have been displaced, forced to leave their homes and seek shelter in Beirut and elsewhere, only to face high rent, rising living costs, and scarce work opportunities. Humanitarian aid, when it comes at all, is inconsistent and uneven.

When I visited Beirut in May, the contrast was impossible to ignore. In the devastated south, the weight of war is visible everywhere: bombed-out houses, displaced families, communities reduced to ruins. Yet, drive a mere two kilometers into certain Christian neighborhoods, and you see life uninterrupted. Cafés buzz, streets glow with nightlife, and conversations rarely touch on the suffering of those just down the road. The indifference is louder than the silence of the bombs.

This moral disconnect cuts deep for me. Faith, especially Christian faith, is supposed to rest on compassion, solidarity, and care for one’s neighbor. But when fellow citizens are bombed, displaced, and stripped of dignity, and the response is indifference, then something has gone terribly wrong. To turn away, to carry on without acknowledgment, is to betray the very values we claim to uphold.

Lebanon cannot afford this kind of selective humanity. Suffering in the south is suffering for the whole nation. If we fail to recognize that, we only deepen divisions and betray our shared identity as Lebanese. I believe my community must reckon with its privilege and indifference and move toward empathy—real empathy—that transcends sectarian lines.

Because the people of the south deserve more than survival. They deserve solidarity.

The post Between Devastation and Indifference: A Christian Lebanese Reflection first appeared on street art united states.
by Sami Wakim via street art united states

27 Schoolteachers and a Volcano” – A New Mural by Pat Perry in Princeton, Wisconsin

In September 2025, the Princeton Art Collective unveiled its latest public art commission: 27 Schoolteachers and a Volcano, a mural by internationally recognized artist Pat Perry. Painted in the heart of Princeton, Wisconsin, the work pays tribute to local educators while reflecting on the broader human condition.

For the piece, Perry collaborated with 27 local schoolteachers, using their portraits as the foundation for a narrative that explores resilience, responsibility, and the quiet persistence of purpose in uncertain times.

 “I’m proud of the concept, and I feel like this one had some extra heart and soul behind it. Twenty-seven local schoolteachers let us use their portraits to demonstrate an idea about the moment we are living in. I think it showed another way that art can speak to local communities without being formulaic or cliché,” Perry said.

The mural combines striking portraiture with metaphorical imagery, centering around the idea that even in small rural towns, people are never fully insulated from the immense forces that shape history.

In his artist statement, Perry reflected on the mural’s deeper meaning:
“Even in a small rural town, you’re not insulated from the immense forces that shape the world. History happens. Economies rise and fall. Wars begin. Continents drift and mountains erode. One day, the sun will expand and swallow the Earth. Most of us don’t get much of a say in any of it. Yet, day after day, people find purpose. They wake up early, show up with intention, and try to make sense of things—not just for themselves, but also for others. Teachers do this every day. Not for recognition, and rarely for much pay. It’s a repetitive act of maintenance that holds things together. Choosing to shoulder that task, even while standing at the edge of something vast and indifferent, is a quiet act of defiance. Amidst overwhelmingness and uncontrollableness and unanswerableness, teachers—and all custodians of human affairs—keep meaning in the world by steadily and stubbornly tending to it.”

Through 27 Schoolteachers and a Volcano, Perry highlights the profound role of teachers as anchors of meaning, even when the world feels uncertain and overwhelming. The mural, at once local and universal, reflects his belief in the power of public art to connect communities through shared human stories.

The Princeton Art Collective’s commission not only enriches the town’s cultural landscape but also honors the everyday contributions of educators—those who continue to “keep meaning in the world” against all odds.

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The post 27 Schoolteachers and a Volcano” – A New Mural by Pat Perry in Princeton, Wisconsin first appeared on street art united states.
by Sami Wakim via street art united states

27 Schoolteachers and a Volcano” – A New Mural by Pat Perry in Princeton, Wisconsin

In September 2025, the Princeton Art Collective unveiled its latest public art commission: 27 Schoolteachers and a Volcano, a mural by internationally recognized artist Pat Perry. Painted in the heart of Princeton, Wisconsin, the work pays tribute to local educators while reflecting on the broader human condition.

For the piece, Perry collaborated with 27 local schoolteachers, using their portraits as the foundation for a narrative that explores resilience, responsibility, and the quiet persistence of purpose in uncertain times.

 “I’m proud of the concept, and I feel like this one had some extra heart and soul behind it. Twenty-seven local schoolteachers let us use their portraits to demonstrate an idea about the moment we are living in. I think it showed another way that art can speak to local communities without being formulaic or cliché,” Perry said.

The mural combines striking portraiture with metaphorical imagery, centering around the idea that even in small rural towns, people are never fully insulated from the immense forces that shape history.

In his artist statement, Perry reflected on the mural’s deeper meaning:
“Even in a small rural town, you’re not insulated from the immense forces that shape the world. History happens. Economies rise and fall. Wars begin. Continents drift and mountains erode. One day, the sun will expand and swallow the Earth. Most of us don’t get much of a say in any of it. Yet, day after day, people find purpose. They wake up early, show up with intention, and try to make sense of things—not just for themselves, but also for others. Teachers do this every day. Not for recognition, and rarely for much pay. It’s a repetitive act of maintenance that holds things together. Choosing to shoulder that task, even while standing at the edge of something vast and indifferent, is a quiet act of defiance. Amidst overwhelmingness and uncontrollableness and unanswerableness, teachers—and all custodians of human affairs—keep meaning in the world by steadily and stubbornly tending to it.”

Through 27 Schoolteachers and a Volcano, Perry highlights the profound role of teachers as anchors of meaning, even when the world feels uncertain and overwhelming. The mural, at once local and universal, reflects his belief in the power of public art to connect communities through shared human stories.

The Princeton Art Collective’s commission not only enriches the town’s cultural landscape but also honors the everyday contributions of educators—those who continue to “keep meaning in the world” against all odds.

---

 

The post 27 Schoolteachers and a Volcano” – A New Mural by Pat Perry in Princeton, Wisconsin first appeared on street art united states.
by Sami Wakim via street art united states