When it comes to graffiti art, it’s rare to find women out spray painting along with the guys, but there is a growing women’s movement in this subculture, including peripheral lifestyle industries such as the rise of urban fashion by women, and a growing genre of important new DJ’s and rap/hip-hop artists that show the female perspective of urban culture. Art curator and artist Susana Timoi DeLeon showcased this female perspective October 13th in a unique event called “Within—The Urban Woman Experience” at the Crashbox Mansion in downtown Los Angeles during the kick-off of LA Fashion Week.
The event included several facets in various rooms, including live graffiti and street art painting by top young women artists Toofly out of NYC, Jeyd, and Mega Uti, an art exhibition from artists out of Los Angeles, New York, and New Mexico, rap/hip-hop by performers such as Fawksie, Lotus, JROZ, and Nite N Dae, slam poetry by Xaris, DJ’s Suprema and Lisa J, a fashion and crafts boutique fair created by Blue Chips, and a fashion show by emerging designers in women’s street fashion, including Araceli Silva, Lindsey Rangel’s She Blooms, Mimi Bogall, De La Luna Designs, Freedom Elegy, and Hazel Shakti.
As Timoi explains about her event, “Our hope is to bring in an ever-changing world a new and fresh look at what it means to be an urban artist, which is still a relatively new phenomenon and continually changing.” What’s changing mostly about the scene is the growing impression and influence coming from young women—graff artists, rappers, fashion designers, and emerging specialty boutique retailers. As indicated by the hundreds of people who attended last weekend’s event, what’s going on in the urban women’s movement is on the leading-edge of a new and expanding subculture. For example, artists’ work on display such as Alfie Numeric, Denise Monster, Toofly, Jeyd, Timoi, Miss Pix, Mara Taber, and Sonji included subjects such as women, city landscapes, characters with attitude, and symbolism that had a female twist to what is normally scene in graffiti and street art. For those of us who cover the scene, it makes you realize what’s been missing and just where art is headed next as more women exhibit their creative talents. In addition, raps from Fawksie and Nite N Dae proved that there’s more to the story of living in an urban environment that can mean strength and inspiration from city surroundings, family, friends, and poetry.
While the main event took place on Saturday, the next day the Urban Woman Experience continued with workshops taught by women and offered up free for families ranging in topics such as turntablism, graffiti art, poetry, and permaculture.
Stay tuned for more from the fashion show, art, and boutique fair with Part 2 next week.
