TAKI 183

TAKI 183 is one of the most influential graffiti writers. Taki was Greek born and named Demetrius. His "tag" was short for Demetaki, the alternative of Demetrius and the number 183 came from his address on 183rd Street in Washington Heights. He worked as a foot messenger in New York City and would write his nickname around the New York streets that he daily frequented during the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Taki is a very important artist because he was one of the first people get attention from the media. On July 21, 1971, The New York Times ran an article about him on the front page of its inside section, titled "Taki 183" Spawns Pen Pals. TAKI 183's newspaper fame spurred competitive tagging in NYC as his tag was being mimicked by hundreds of youth across the five boroughs. The people who got their names up the most and developed signature tags became heroes in their communities. Graffiti became a way for many young kids to communicate and express themselves. Their graffiti is a vital part of their culture and without Taki 183 and its media recognition, it might not exist today.

Although TAKI 183 was the first to be showcased in a major publication it is said that Julio 204 began writing his tag in NYC first. But Julio didn't write outside his own neighbourhood and this arguably is the reason why he never received the credits and media-attention TAKI did.

Taki was last known to be the owner of a foreign car repair shop. In an interview with the New York Daily News of April 9, 1989, he talked about his retirement as a graffiti writer: "As soon as I got into something more productive in my life, I stopped. Eventually I got into business, got married, bought a house, had a kid. Didn't buy a station wagon, but I grew up, you could say that."

In May of 2009, the official TAKI 183 website was launched. The site includes photos of his work, images of his friends and contemporaries, his true story and official TAKI 183 limited-edition screenprints.

Further reading

• "The Faith of Graffiti", Mervyn Kurlansky, Jon Naar, Norman Mailer. Praeger Publishers, 1974. ISBN 0275716100
• "Style: Writing from the Underground. (R)evolutions of Aerosol Linguistics", Stampa Alternativa in Association with IGTimes. ISBN 88-7226-318-2.
• Chalfant, Henry and Cooper, Martha. "Subway Art." New York, New York: Henry Holt & Co, publisher. ISBN 0-8050-0678-8, 198 4, 1995.
• "Freight Train Graffiti", Roger Gastman, Ian Sattler, Darin Rowland. Harry N Abrams Inc, 2006. ISBN 9780810992498
• "The Birth of Graffiti", Jon Naar. Prestel, 2007. ISBN 978-3-7913-3796-8
• "TAKI 183" in Hip Hop Culture, Emmett G. Price, III. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, Inc., 2006, p. 187. ISBN 1-85109-867-4. Also see pp. 30-31, 48, 106.

External links

• "Taki183.net" (Official Site)
• New York Times: 'Taki 183' Spawns Pen Pals (pdf)
• "When TAKI Ruled Magik Kingdom" By Joel Siegel Daily News, April 9, 1989