BOOK SIGNING

ARTE POVERA FOTO BOOKS & A CURATOR PRODUCTION 

Invite you to a very special book signing event for STREET WRITERS, A GUIDED TOUR OF CHICANO GRAFFITI. Italian photographer Gusmano Cesaretti and Chaz Bojórquez take you on a personal tour of Chicano Graffiti.  Capturing the zeitgeist of the 1970’s Northeast Los Angeles and East Los Angeles, Cesaretti’s collection of powerful images document the energy and raw essence of the streets, the artistic styles of Chicano graffiti and the people behind the painted walls.   The subject of many of these photos is the young street artist Bojórquez who introduces Cesaretti’s lens to a sacred street knowledge and the previously un-written Chicano graffiti language.   

Originally published in 1975, the much sought after Street Writers offers a view into a world by way of bold black and white high contrast photography that is Cesaretti’s world renown signature style.  The new limited edition is published in partnership with Gusmano Cesaretti and Chris Gutiérrez for Arte Povera Foto Books and includes previously unreleased images, a larger hard bound format and protective box cover with title design by Chaz Bojórquez 

 ABOUT THE PHOTOGRAPHER 

Gusmano Cesaretti was born in Fratina di Porcari, in Lucca, Italy. Student of Collegio Cavanis. His father gave him a camera for his 14th birthday. It became his instrument. Gusmano has expressed himself through a wide range of mediums over the years from photo journalism, editorial, fashion and commercial work to feature films, documentaries and conceptual art. 

“I’m interested in people, and I want to capture society in my photographs in a way that looks beyond the obvious”
–– Gusmano Cesaretti

ABOUT THE GRAFFITI ARTIST 

Chaz Bojórquez was first known as “Chingaso” on the streets. Today, Chaz is the Godfather of Los Angeles Graffiti Art. Chaz is the most continuous graffiti writer in the world today. He painted his iconic “Señor Suerte” skull in 1969 on a pedestrian staircase of the Pasadena Freeway where it meets the Golden State Freeway in an area known as the gateway to Northeast Los Angeles. Drawing inspiration from where he was born, raised and still lives, Chaz decorated the neighborhood’s walls and cement banks of the Los Angeles River with symbols of protection for locals and to warn all intruders.  

Chaz received formal art training at Guadalajara University of Art in Mexico, California State University Los Angeles, Chouinard Art Institute, known today as Cal Arts, and has an honorary doctorate from Art Center College of Design. Under Chinese Calligraphy Master Run Chung Chiang, Chaz developed a deep understanding for the written language. Chaz worked as a commercial artist in advertising and film before concentrating on painted canvas.