Wheat Paste Diary

Art in the Streets exhibit at publicly funded museum MOCA has lines stretching for city blocks and the approval of the media worldwide. Thousands of kids have already been to the museum and been inspired by the art they see, something that would normally be considered a good thing. Today Los Angeles’ art community got a message that not everyone sees it that way.

Using high profile tactics usually reserved for international criminals accused of smuggling drugs or murder-for-hire, the artist REVOK was arrested by sheriff’s deputies Thursday morning as he prepared to board a plane to Ireland at Los Angeles International Airport.

The arrest is nothing new for REVOK or for other graffiti artists, but the timing of Easter Sunday and tactics used are clearly designed as a counter blow to the Art in the Streets exhibit which prominently features REVOK’s art.

“We take graffiti vandalism very seriously, said Lieutenant Vince Carter, Sheriff’s Metro Transit Services Bureau. “Criminal graffiti vandals who insist on damaging other people’s property are going to jail and need to pay to fix the damage they caused.” The MTSB offers a “Most Wanted Taggers” section that does not mention REVOK, further evidence that this arrest is all about publicity.

The bail for this “dangerous criminal”, who is widely considered one of the world’s best graffiti artists, is an insane $320,000. Let’s compare that to some recent cases:

Child Molestor: $150,000
Leaving a Baby in a 115 degree car: $100,000
Ripping off an Entire City: $100,000