A Self-Guided Brooklyn Graffiti Tour (2008)

Brooklyn NYC Graffiti Tour

The first year of offMetro we set-out to find the best graffiti and street art in the Williamsburg area. Much of it has been lost to time but here’s our old guide to Brooklyn Graffiti with photos of the original artwork and information about the arts former location.

To find current art, head to: offmetro.com/ny/a-self-guided-brooklyn-graffiti-tour.

Throw-ups and Pieces

t kid graffitiArtist: T.Kid (piece)
Location: Hope and Keap (on Hope)
ghost graffitiArtist: Ghost (piece)
Location: Keap and Hope (on Keap)
os gemeos graffitiArtist: Os Gemeos (piece)
Location: North 3rd and Wythe (on Wythe)
armer graffitiArtist: Armer (piece)
Location: North 10th and Roebling (Construction site on North 10th)
peek funk graffitiArtists: Peek/Funk (Pink and Smith) (pieces)
Location: North 6th and Metropolitan (Gas Station)
diva graffitiArtist: Diva (piece)
Location: North 6th and Metropolitan (Gas Station)
aero graffitiArtists: Aero/Teo (throw-ups)
Location: Metropolitan and Marcy (Abandoned Lot on Marcy)

Murals

Painted by individual artists or collectives, murals can sometimes commemorate emblematic musicians, politicians and activists. With the influence of graffiti in advertising, some graffiti artists have also been contracted to paint murals for local businesses and corporations. Featured murals on this tour include:

motug ewok muralMÖTUG collective (Monsters of the Unda – Ground)
Artist: Ewok (mural)
Location: Keap and Hope (on Hope)
motug mural hopeMÖTUG collective (Monsters of the Unda – Ground)
Artist: Ewok (mural)
Location: Keap and Hope (on Hope)
motug ewok mural keapMÖTUG collective (Monsters of the Unda – Ground) – Artist: Ewok (mural)
Location: Keap and Hope (on Keap)
motug obey mural keapMÖTUG collective (Monsters of the Unda – Ground)
Artists: Obey (mural)
Location: Keap and Hope (on Keap)
motug mural keapMÖTUG collective (Monsters of the Unda – Ground)
Artists: T.Kid (mural)
Location: Keap and Hope (on Keap)
r.robots graffitiArtist: R.Robots (mural)
Location: North 3rd and Bedford (on North 3rd)
r.robots mural 2Artist: R.Robots (mural)
Location: North 3rd and Bedford (on North 3rd)

Stencils

Working from a print of one or more colors that are later sprayed-over, stencils allow graffiti artists to focus on cultural icons that can be reproduced with precision. In Williamsburg you will find stencil-work from:

nick walker paint

Artist: Nick Walker (paint/stencil)
Location: Roebling and Metropolitan (on Roebling)

c215 firebox

Artist: C215 (stencil)
Location: Corner of Roebling and Metropolitan (Fire Box)

c215 stencil

Artist: C215 (stencil)
Location: Metropolitan and Roebling (on Metropolitan, Staircase)

nick walker vandalism

Artist: Nick Walker (stencil)
Location: Wythe and North 3rd St. (on Wythe)

c215 stencil fbeArtist: C215 (stencil)
Location: Meeker and Withers (On Meeker, Gas station)
c215 stencilArtist: C215 (stencil)
Location: Meeker and Withers (On Withers, fire hydrant)

Poster-work

Graffiti artists wheatpaste their poster-work on billboards and walls, sometimes actively incorporating their surroundings into the piece. In Williamsburg you will enjoy a roundup of the most innovative wheatpaste artists:

faile wheatpaste 1Artist: Faile (wheatpaste)
Location: Wythe and North 3rd (on Wythe)
faile wheatpaste 2Artist: Faile (wheatpaste)
Location: Wythe and North 3rd (on Wythe)
obey wheatpasteArtist: Obey (wheatpaste)
Location: North 6th bet. Wythe and Kent
elbow toe wheatpasteArtist: Elbow Toe (wheatpaste)
Location: North 6th bet. Wythe and Kent
judith supine wheatpasteArtist: Judith Supine (wheatpaste)
Location: Meeker Avenue and North 7th (On North 7th)
ohm wheatpasteArtist: OHM (wheatpaste)
Location: Meeker Avenue and North 6th (on Meeker)

How to get there: Take the L train from Union Square to Lorimer St – Metropolitain Ave Station. Then proceed on foot at your discretion with the self-guided tour of the featured graffiti sites. Print out this article and the map below to help guide you to the locations. Please note that graffiti is usually not permanent, so we cannot guarantee that all our sites are still in tact. On the other hand, new art is constantly being created—let us know in the comments if you discover anything new in the area!

Map of Featured Artwork


View or Print Larger Map

Photos: Courtesy Arturo Conde