A big blue canvas for airing his graffiti grievance
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Taggers have left their mark all over Los Angeles. On buildings and bridges. Trees and cars. And even tombstones.
But on Monday, Angelenos saw graffiti in a place they’ve probably never seen it before: the sky.
Saber, a Los Angeles native and professional graffiti artist, hired five skywriters for an unlikely art installation and protest in the crisp, cloudless sky above downtown around noon Monday.
The skywriting didn’t have the artistic flourishes of high-style street art, but the white lettering hammered home a point. “End Mural Moratorium.” “Art Is Not A Crime.”
The writing could be seen from the Civic Center west to Silver Lake.
Saber, who doesn’t give his real name, said he took to the skies to protest what he claims is a campaign by the city to remove public murals. “This was once the city of murals,” he said, “but no more.”
He said it was fitting that he used the sky to send his message, given the city’s crackdown on graffiti and street art. He summed up the day on Twitter: I OWN THE SKY OVER #LA.”
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