On a cold December afternoon, Peyton Scott Russell preps the walls of a gallery for an exhibition of his work. A continuous stream of deep Prince plays in the background to set the mood.
The exhibition will include a survey of recent artworks, and pay tribute to the students he reaches through his educational program, Sprayfinger. But the centerpiece will be a mural painted directly on the wall just for the duration of this show, an ode to graffiti itself. For years, like many street artists, Russell expressed himself under a pseudonym. Now he steps forward to assume his legacy and celebrate the power and vibrancy of his chosen medium; a potency that blooms in juxtaposition to its vulnerability to the elements, future alterations and interventions.
Time is tight, the exhibition date is set. A cacophony of art ensues. The wall is sprayed, textured, nuanced and aged, right before our eyes. It begins to seem as though this wall has existed for years, tagged with history and transported to this space. Within a few weeks, fueled in part by late-night bursts of energy, all of the walls of the Casket Arts Gallery in Minneapolis are reverberating in testimony.
Peyton Scott Russell is DASKARONE.
