Defying Stereotypes & OddsGraffiti Art & Empowerment What:Two graffiti artists used their standing in underground and mainstream communities to create a forum for global female artists.

The Dirt:
You might see the two pit bulls roaming the boutique of the surf-meets-street Greenpoint boutique Alphabeta and assume the folks that hang out are unapproachable. Walk through the back door to the enclosed event space and the outdoor area and you’ll find the dogs are right there with you, keeping everyone company. The painters are part of an art cooperative business of sorts called The Younity that was founded by Maria Castillo, AKA Toofly, and Alice Mizrachi. They are proof of the evolution of graffiti art and its offspring, namely one-dimensional installations, stencils and street art and their influence on fashion and jewelry design. Today, these particular graffiti artists are the roots of the female art consortium that is a grassroots initiative empowering female artists. From the outside, the sneaker-clad graffiti artists might appear fierce, but a look beyond their style shows they are merely rough around the edges, ensuring that outsiders understand their mission. Spray paint cans in hand, M.I.A. and Outkast’s Jazzy Belle blare as the sun shines on this nook of Brooklyn, just another work in progress. The end result will be a visualization of their souls and the world as they see it, in the form of painted outdoor walls to accompany the indoor group exhibition. To some it is street art and objects of desire; to others, a country in need of a revolution; and to all, a gender in need of raising up.

The artist’s struggle is well known in New York City, but the electronic age has pushed that struggle to the outer boroughs. Now that the days of Jean-Michel Basquiat spray painting lower Manhattan are long gone, replaced by shiny museums and boutiques, the artists have made their way to the few neighborhoods they can afford to live and work in, such as Brooklyn’s Bushwick, Greenpoint and Bedford-Stuyvesant; Sunnyside, Queens; and recently, in parts of the Bronx near Grand Concourse. The result is the creation of a hodge podge of characters coexisting in enclaves formerly inhabited by one or two ethnic groups, from the Polish in Greenpoint to the Puerto Ricans in the Bronx and the Caribbean natives in Bed-Stuy. The greater impact is the realization that what was once counter culture is now mainstream, with graffiti artists gaining licensing deals from brand names attempting to lure the new youth and their allowance.

That is not what The Younity is about. The for-profit artist collective started by Toofly and Mizrachi is about empowering women through art, and as Mizrachi explains, “it provides a platform.” These artists are just one group in the subculture that struggles to gain recognition without losing their voice, in a world dominated by consumerism and driven by technology and the jetsetera. But, what they share with all Americans is the aim to live by doing what they love and achieve the goal of getting outsiders to judge them for their work, not their appearance. For these women, it’s not about finding that perfect place between the unknown and the mainstream recognition; it’s about getting a message to other women and girls looking for an outlet where their art is welcome. According to Toofly, it’s about being “approachable as artists and to make ourselves available.” The canvas, be it a wall, a piece of metal or a skateboard, is just a material where they paint their dreams and thoughts.

Ironically, the hipsters of New York City, with their ubiquitous indie rock bands, skinny jeans, reincarnated 80s fashion styles, fags and coffee diet, and overpriced accessories, show us that the appetite for something meaningful and an audience all our own is a bonding factor—that and our vices. If alcohol was both the muse and sustenance for artists of the 50s; love and drugs for the 60s and 70s; graffiti, hip-hop and hard core drugs for the 80s; and the beginning of excess for the 90s, then the millennium feeds off the merging of opposites. This is seen in suits supporting artists, hipsters buying new condos, the cool struggle, fashionable chipped nails and finally, the art world’s appreciation for graffiti and its commercial byproducts: clothing and collectible adult toy trinkets.

This is just another reason we are impressed by Younity. Toofly and Mizrachi are the organizers and curators of the annual show and the first book (2008) showcasing the work of 60 artists. Structured as a book of perforated postcards with the artist’s name and title on the back, we suggest leaving the book intact. Years down the road when these women have created a conglomerate, an art-focused version of Marc Ecko’s empire, you’ll have a trinket of their mid-career work and the vision to appreciate their mission.

Bonus:
The group plans to create a nonprofit with a focus on youth programs, and to expand its partnerships, which include Black Girls Rule.

Where:
For more information on Younity, visit The Younity website. The book had a run of 200 but depending on opening night (10/17/08) sales, they might reprint. The $19.50 book will split its profits, with 70% going to the artists, and 15% each going to the gallery and the organization.