From graffiti to murals: Las Vegas artist advocates legal art

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) – Matthew Murphey also known as “Black57” became a graffiti artist at the age of 13 and over the years, he has evolved from bombing walls also known as illegal tagging to being a full-fledged muralist across the Las Vegas valley who gets paid for his work.

Murphy encourages other artists in Las Vegas to do the same as he feels the illegal graffiti scene across the area is running rampant.

“I’m trying to plant the seed in these artists, but it all comes down to their journey and where they want to take it,” Murphy said.

“I’ve seen illegal taggers, hit every single wall that’s available lately in the Arts District,” he added.

Murphy also stated that there’s a big difference between those who specialize in graffiti art to those who are tagging walls and destroying property.

“The gang affiliation with the graffiti is one side of the spectrum. They do it to claim territory and there’s a negative connotation associated with it, instead of it being true art for people to enjoy,” he said.

Other graffiti artists like Rabbit Perez want to create art that the community welcomes as she’s transitioned from illegal tagging to now creating murals that property and business owners want to display.

“Some of us graffiti artists have certain morals, and I will always ask if I can tag a property,” Perez told 8 News Now.

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