March 29, 2007
‘Teenage Piece’ Video With REVS
When REVS says, “I like people that just do what they do, whether it makes sense or it don’t” he’s describing himself and the persistence with which he’s made his name across the city. Whether pasting COST & REVS across the city, painting giant on rooftops, recording his life story on the subway tunnels, or welding metal sculptures on the street, REVS has consistently innovated with the biggest and baddest work in New York City. If anything doesn’t make sense, it’s that he’s kept the mystery all these years, while others sell sneakers, t-shirts and videos.
In the NY Times article by Randy Kennedy, REVS said, “Once money changes hands for art, it becomes a fraudulent activity.” Clearer copies of the photos we provided for that article can be seen here and here. Soon after the story ran, most of the sculptures pictured disappeared. Consider that as you watch REVS installing one of his metal sculptures, the 400 pound, Teenage Piece.
March 29th, 2007 at 11:22 pm
“Once money changes hands for art, it becomes a fraudulent activity.”
Fraudulent? So artists should not be able to derive any living from pieces produced from their talents, experience and abilities? Only by scrounging and living underground and co-opting other people’s property? Please.
I don’t think that the world of art is made better through the wildly pervasive commercial culture driven by the various media conglomerates, but to throw down a condescending statement like that so dismissively…
What a snobby attitude.
I only hope that I am understanding it out of context.
March 30th, 2007 at 9:02 am
True story. The first and only time I met REVS he came into the gallery I had at the time on east 9th street in 2003. He picked up issue 1 of ANIMAL and saw that we had published one of his infamous bio/tunnel pages.
The dude started visually shaking and was like, you can take pics of whatever you want, my sculptures, my tags, but don’t ever fuck with my pages.
Thank goodness, RTW legend QUIK was in the gallery, cause he ended up defusing it by just being there. REVS evidently was a big fan of his and therefore decided not to weld my head into the floor.
Long live King REVS!
March 30th, 2007 at 11:53 am
damn dude is a savage!
March 30th, 2007 at 2:42 pm
I so, so wish he would publish a book of The Pages he did. I’d love to read that story.
March 31st, 2007 at 12:46 pm
“jauntyjoker” You sound like a typical fucking present day wannabe opportunist! Listen ASSHOLE that’s REVS attitude and while I’d love the chance to get paid being an artist (and sometimes do) I certainly applaud his attitude. You probably wouldn’t understand being a “product” of the 2000’s or worse yet “the old days as in 90’s” but it’s nice to see an independent incredibly talented artist simply doing it for the love. My best advice for you is go back to Urban Outfitters, buy a cool T-Shirt, get a Ron Wood hairstyle, a Banski book and a fucking gelato in WIlliamsburg. DOUCHBAG!
April 1st, 2007 at 12:14 pm
Word is that he has a special book with a metal cover to house all his pages. He has each and everyone documented. From what I hear he even devised a special tool to open the damn thing, like a special crank.
May 7th, 2007 at 5:14 am
It’s a fuckin bummer that as soon as Revs (finally) lands in the main press, it ends up with his work getting stolen. Guess that’s another reason to keep to yourself.