Rebellious Art

Adrienne Plati
pOke writer

"Graffiti writers always run from the cops? Why, because they got the biggest balls outta anyone you know." - from "Bomb The System" (2002).

In other cities like Boston, Portland and Los Angeles, graffiti is as common as the yellow taxi cabs that roam the streets. Polk County has yet to discover the means to carry this art like larger Florida cities, such as Miami or Tampa.

Buildings and geographical arrangements of the county make it unable to carry the traditional bombed rooftops and 20-foot rollers that are custom to the metro cities across the world. Not to say Polk doesn't have a graffiti scene. Everyone has caught a quick glimpse of the colorful arrangement of letters and style that flood freight train after freight train as they roll through our county. If you walk through a back alley of Lakeland or Winter Haven, you can find a trace or a small tag representing the raw artistic art form that is graffiti.

Even though graffiti has gained massive popularity and acceptance, many people still are ignorant about the meanings behind the bombs, tags and basic street art.

Not only a work of art, graffiti also includes the underground culture that surrounds and reveres that art. The only art form created by youth, graffiti has yet to take great effect on the kids in Polk County thus far, although a rise of 60 percent in street art was reported late last year.

The rural kids of Polk County have seemed to develop their own style and artistic form of graffiti. Common street tags and scribbles embrace the local buildings in Polk County. A number of locals were asked online last month "what are your thoughts on graffiti?" and several responses were stated.

"Graffiti sucks unless it's good. I usually only see gang signs. I've seen some really good stuff on the side of trains, but it was probably done far away. I would love to see some stuff that is actually good in town. True graffiti IS art."

"I think it's actually a little refreshing ya know? We have all this crap around downtown Winter Haven that people have labeled as art, and then I go look on a train passing through and I find much more skillful and impressive art on there. Now granted, I don't like the art on the walls because it just seems like imitation gangs scribbled their initials in an attempt to LOOK like graffiti. That's not art, and it's not pretty. But in general, I rather like the graffiti. There's some real talent out there."

Take these two quotes for example; Polk County residents seem to be appreciative of the local scene. Many people see the beauty of a freshly painted piece created at the local AmTrak station at 3:30 a.m., but for some, the "tags" are a different story.

Often associated with the gang scenes, the name scribbles or "tags" are a representation of the artists name or specific motive. Whether bombing a wall, tagging a freight or spraying a stencil, artists are offered an extensive amount of stores and Web sites from which to choose their gear. Underground graffiti writing stores offer an array of different brands and styles of markers, inks, tips, spray cans and much more. Also, the roots of the style include latex gloves, black, hooded sweatshirt and a gas mask if the piece calls for these measures.

I recently caught up with a local talent and underground street artist from this area, Enzo, a graphic design student living in Portland. Enzo is formerly from Polk County and has graffiti roots in Boston and other New England cities.

Although his current artwork does not represent that of a traditional graffiti style, his work has a heavy influence of the deep-rooted graffiti culture. Using different mediums such as cardboard, scrap metals and pretty much anything he can get his hands on, Enzo looks to the streets for inspiration. Digging his fingers into graphic design and studio art, he has developed a unique and individual style that can be categorized as "post graffiti" or "street art." UK legend Banksy and L.A. native Buff Monster are a couple of the artists Enzo is influenced by today.

In 1998, Enzo and his family moved from Toronto, Canada to Haines City. After attending a small Catholic elementary school in Winter Haven, he moved out on his own during his high school years and attended Vermont Academy in Saxton River, Vermont. Further schooling continued in Boston, but no matter where his education took him, he always returned home to Haines City with a growing knowledge of street life. After getting a taste for the east coast style, Enzo decided to pack his bags and move west.

He now lives in Portland and started creating graphics for an underground grass-roots company as "Joey Dot Ink."

This underground, low-tech clothing company pokes fun at the main stream world while expressing simple, yet in-depth, design. Everything from T-Shirts to hoodies can be found bootlegged over the Internet.

Different projects Enzo is working on involve his many influences and past experiences. A trip to Haines City is in his plans for the near future. Hopeful studio galleries and shows will be planned upon his return to Florida.

To contact Enzo, send e-mail to enzoplati@hotmail.com. For details about graffiti, visit the Web sites www.bombingscience.com and www.woostercollective.com