Graffiti goes ‘Beyond the Streets’ in Southampton this summer

They were once outlaws, rebels, dissidents and outsider artists. Now lauded by museum directors and collectors, graffiti artists are going “Beyond the Streets” at the Southampton Arts Center. The exhibition of some three dozen taggers, muralists and more who made their names — and their art — on the streets is on display in Southampton through July 20. Look for strong graphics, bold colors, texts, unusual materials (barbed wire, metal doors, miniature train cars, and banners), and, yes, a bit of misbehaving. Street art started decades ago when young, largely untaught artists sought ways to make their mark on the world. “Lights, Camera, Sorrow” is a 1987 wall-sized painting by graffiti artist, CRASH, who will also be painting a site-specific work at the Southampton Arts Center. Credit: CRASH “I grew up in the Bronx, so I remember graffiti art on the subways,” says SAC director Christina Mossaides Strassfield. She also recalled the gradual transition from the streets to galleries and museums. Roger Gastman, the guest curator and founder and creative director of “Beyond the Streets” notes, “These artists have gone on to very illustrious careers. Just because their background is in street art doesn’t mean that the work they’re creating...