8.27.12 Featured Artist: Leon Reid IV

Leon Reid IV, Verbs Street Oh Yes I Did!, 2000, New York, NY, photo credit: Brad Downey

My work is made for the public. I’ve committed more than half of my life to creating art tailored for mass enjoyment in cities such as New York and London, and in nations as far reaching as Norway and Brazil. My work employs urban infrastructure that is often taken for granted; street poles, street signs – even existing architecture as a basis to create sculptures that the every-day pedestrian can appreciate. Through my work, I endeavor to make the ordinary extraordinary.

Listed as one of the “60 Innovators Shaping Our Creative Future” by Thames & Hudson, Leon Reid IV has been on the edge of public art for over 17 years. He grew up as a traditional graffiti writer (a.k.a VERBS) and quickly developed a knack for unconventional practices such as painting street signs and installing them during daylight disguised as a construction worker. His experiments in graffiti lead him to move beyond the genre and pursue site-specific installations under the pen-name Darius Jones. Reid is one of the few artists responsible for introducing sculpture into the language of street-art, his techniques of installation combined with his humorous and romantic themes have made a sizable impact on urban artists of his generation.

Born in 1979, Reid finished his BFA at Pratt Institute in 2002 and MA at Central St Martin’s in 2004. The artist lives and works in Brooklyn, NY.

Reid’s latest project, “A Spider Lurks In Brooklyn” artspire.org/DirectoryDetail/tabid/95/id/1075/Default.aspx

Artist website: leonthe4th.com