Jon Naar is a photojournalist who started documenting the budding graffiti scene in New York City back in the early 1970s. In this video, produced by Stussy, Naar shares his thoughts on the early graffiti writers, their startlingly youth and their influences (or lack thereof). He also looks back at the influence of his collaboration with Norman Mailer, a book called The Faith of Graffiti, which came out in 1974. The book, an essay by Mailer about graffiti accompanied by photographs by Naar, has recently returned to print. Click through to watch the interview.
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When Norman Mailer and photographer Jon Naar investigated NYC’s graff scene in 1973, most of the artists felt the movement was in decline — but that didn’t stop the pair from documenting (and validating) the in-fact nascent art form.
Teen taggers from the Bronx illuminate the life — and perils — of a graffiti artist to Mailer, who uses the book to connect the burgeoning form to works within MoMA and the Met. This new edition of The Faith of Graffiti contains more than 30 additional photos, and comes at a time when the now-mainstream nature of graffiti affords a whole new perspective.
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