Workhorse

Dream like.

Why should you get this book? The Underbelly Project, inviting "103 artists over 72 weeks" to contribute their graffiti expertise to an expansive, previously hidden, abandoned underground New York subway station, is inspiring. If a tree falls in the forest ... if an expansive art project is locked up, hidden forever, and seen by almost nobody ... is it art? Yes.

The Underbelly Project is one of those jaw dropping projects that make you proud to be a human. Cool, creative, inspiring. Though the book, honestly, is best described as an average, to above average, art book. The content and pictures are fascinating and worth perusing. The QUALITY of the production, the reproductions of the photographs of the effort, are about average (my desire to see high definition, 3D versions tempers my rave review). Having examined the paperback version, and the hard copy version? Get the hard copy version. I'm not sure if there's a real difference, but this bibliophile thinks there is a difference (I know, I know: anecdote is not evidence).

Let me underscore that which impressed me the most: the text. I wish there were more of it. The artists thoughts, the adventures, problems, accidents while producing this, THAT is the real story to me. Though the reproductions of the images from the project are standard for a coffee table book, the accompanying text exposes the thoughts, and ethos, of the artists engaged in the project. MORE TEXT!

Though the quality of image reproduction is standard, the creativity of the artists still comes through. Let me choose three examples to give you a feel of this book.

1. Page 114. FROM: United States. COMPLETED IN: 4 hours. NOTE: As time went on, mold began to grow on the face of Mark's figure -- it scared the s--t out of us. we heard that a few explorers went in and kept calling out to it from the other side of the tunnel thinking there was actually someone there.

2. Page 142. FROM: United States: COMPLETED IN: 4 hours. NOTE: Aiko attacked the wall like a rabid pitbull. I kept trying to take photos of her, but she moved so quickly that it was nearly impossible to get a photo that wasn't blurry.

3. Pages 184-187. More Rules than Fight Club. "... I served a quiet meal for two. We took a Polaroid picture to capture the event and left it behind on the table, set for two."

This is not the definitive work of public art and graffiti, but it's definitely one that goes in the library of the public art afficionado. It's also one of the most memorable stand-alone works about art, and artists, of which I know.… (altro)