Van Der Plas Gallery
156 Orchard Street, New York Manhattan

Graffiti and street art are distinct art forms that can be found on the streets and walls of cities around the world. The two styles have shared a tense co-existence, continually appearing together and overlapping, competing for space in urban environments. The creators of these styles were repelled by the excessive commercial glamour of the 1970s and were pushed to express themselves outside the mainstream. Easily dismissed as vandalism by the untrained eye, graffiti and street art in fact have rich histories, derived from vibrant local culture and environmental pressures. These styles began to develop into codified, if still controversial, urban art forms in the 1970s; both involving the reappropriation of public space with bold visuals, risking legal repercussions.

The new Van Der Plas Gallery exhibition "Graffiti VS. Street-Art" aims to highlight the differences between graffiti and street art as formal styles, as well as the blurred lines where the two overlap and intertwine. It will explore the similarities and differences between the styles and artists. Graffiti and street art span generations, and this exhibition features works from the early days of street art on the Lower East Side to contemporary works inspired by these origins.

Van Der Plas Gallery will feature works by artists Sinclair The Vandal, David Diaz, Con $ umr, FA-Q, Christopher Hart Chambers, Frank Wore Croce, Alejandro Caiazza, Will Power and Franc Palaia.