Featured Photo
-
Shadow graffiti artist Ellis G. adorns Bergen Street
Josh Guttman | July 9, 2007
The Carroll Gardens artist known as “Ellis G” has made a career and built quite a neighborhood following out of his own form of graffiti - shadow art, which he also calls ocular echoism. The form was inspired by an incident in the neighborhood during which he was robbed. For a while thereafter, he became fixated on shadows and the first manifestation of shadow art happened spontaneously one evening. His work is most often spotted near subway stops, storefronts or street poles, often ones with bikes attached. His pieces are typically signed “© Ellis G. 2007″ and his work usually takes place in the evenings. Were it not for this NY Times article that appeared 18 months ago, that might be all we know about Ellis G. It turns out that Ellis Gallagher has quite a colorful history in the tradition of NYC subway graffiti. After a friend (his partner on an evening mission) was struck and killed by a train, he decided to reconsider his craft. “The originality and innocence of his work is what makes it so cool,” explained long-time neighborhood resident Gian Trotta. I agree. It’s one of the unique things that makes our neighborhood special. The Brooklyn Museum has recognized Ellis G’s work with an interview posted on their website. He is also profiled in this video on Current TV. Ellis has a book coming out this year with Powerhouse Books.
Comments
