HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH 2024: Long gone are the days of sneaking into subway yards – now Lady Pink’s art hangs in the Met and MoMa

NEW YORK (1010 WINS) – Graffiti art is more than just spray paint on a wall. It’s a reflection of the artist, their identity, their time, and their place. Lady Pink, an inspiring artist in New York City’s graffiti scene, knows this better than anyone. “The same way that we can identify fashion or architecture,” Lady Pink told 1010 WINS. “You can date it by the decade and such and, and, and region, the same thing like a dialect and an accent.” Born in Ecuador and raised in New York City, Lady Pink began her graffiti career in 1979, quickly becoming a standout in the male-dominated subculture. Photo credit Lady Pink Known for her bold and unmistakable tag, Lady Pink’s graffiti was a signature of her roots and identity. “Well, you know it—my tag. When I put it up there, it says Queens, it says 1980s, and it says that I’m a female,” she said. From jumping fences to sneaking into train yards late at night, Lady Pink’s path was far from easy. “I had to travel with a knife and start cleaning my fingernails,” she said. “So a little skinny girl cleaning her fingernails in the middle of the...