"and he'll be missed in the District"

By whom? How many people will miss him? I won't and I doubt the vast majority of District dwellers will either. Of course that doesn't make me (or them) better or worse people. But I just can't see what the big deal is with him.

"witty, prolific, and irreverent"

Maybe I haven't seen enough Borf tags but I found most to be quite lame (and tame) unless there's an inside joke I'm not getting. Admittedly I know nothing about "situationism" unless that deals with 30-minute prime time comedies on TV. Prolific, I'll give you that although in and of itself what is it worth? Irreverent? Who, in some form or fashion is not? And the question shouldn't be is John irreverent. It should be, was his approach to being irreverent the most impactful possible. It may be a fault with me, but I still don't get his politics except that he's angry or speaking out against something. What is it?

Lastly, where is the talk of specifics? What did he do and how has it worked? What are the truly artistic merits of his work? Who did he impact and how? What specific tags are witty and how so? These are the questions I have. If there are answers to these already published I'd appreciate a link. If not, I'd love to see someone tackle the issue.

good call on the wooster collective omission.

He made himself a presence in the city, asserted himself upon it, and with his nonsensical name and punchy, weird assertions, made it seem as if mailboxes, walls and patches of sidewalk were uttering incomprehensible, but related, riddles to you as you walked by them. At his best, he made the city into a sphinx. At least that's how his work seemed to me. It's disappointing to hear his politics and know that there wasn't much substance behind the mystery, but he's hardly the first artist to disappoint in that way.

And I would say that being prolific has a value unto itself for graffiti artists. The highway overpass sign was impressive. But the tag that impressed me most is over by my gym (paraphrasing):

(in silver pen) BORF IS WINNING
(in sharpie, different handwriting) AT BEING A LOSER
(in original silver) BUT STILL WINNING

I forget the exact formulation -- it was wittier than that. But hitting the same spot twice? Replying to criticism not worth replying to? It drove home the idea of Borf as all-seeing, and totally in command of his environment.

Toward that end, another example. The Post refers to a stop sign with a partial Borf tag on it. In fact, it's about a block from my house. It says, in 4" letters, "BORF IS A DO". The artist got busted before he could finish writing (presumably) "DORK". Kind of puts the difficulty of Borf's high-profile tagging into perspective.

Tom -

When I need a statement written about my own artwork, I'm coming to you for help!

I'm just kidding. I think you are a bit romantic with what you wrote but I sincerely appreciate your thoughts on specific examples. Thanks!

Well, you're right. And some of Borf's stuff didn't work -- his "grownups are obsolete" and other highly complex stencils are neat, and sometimes technically impressive (by graffiti standards) but don't really mesh with a lot of his other work. And simple tagging, while it feeds into the idea of blanketing the city, is probably closer to eyesore than art.

But still... a lot of it seemed cohesive to me, and I enjoyed it. I can certainly understand why affected property owners hate the guy, though.

That's what has me curious: What are they going to charge this guy with? A class action lawsuit?

Here's a great link: http://www.metafilter.com/mefi/43499

And will he automatically be considered culpable for any future Borf graffiti that appears when he's not in jail? Seems likely that we'll get a few copycat Borfs...

Isn't all this discussion and speculation the goal of graffiti artists around the country? Maybe I misunderstand their motives, but I've always thought that was pretty much their sole goal, no matter how much it was prodded by a political ideology. So Bork would be successful in at least that much.

That said, part of his performance is maintaining that mystery by avoiding being captured and identified -- kind of like those guys who parachute down from skyscrapers. Whether the kid serves time or pays a fine, once the word is out, Borf is dead.

i'm sure he'll just get a misdemeanor and some community service. i doubt this'll warrant jailtime. he was under 18 when he did most of the graffiti, and has no previous arrests or anything.

Isn't all this discussion and speculation the goal of graffiti artists around the country? Maybe I misunderstand their motives, but I've always thought that was pretty much their sole goal, no matter how much it was prodded by a political ideology. So Bork would be successful in at least that much.

That said, part of his performance is maintaining that mystery by avoiding being captured and identified -- kind of like those guys who parachute down from skyscrapers. Whether the kid serves time or pays a fine, once the word is out, Borf is dead.

JT: that metafilter link is interesting. I don't really buy the theories about Borf (and esp. his interactions with the Post) being some sort of parody of clueless anarchist punks, though.

"BORF IS A DO" may be complete in itself. Much more interesting than anything he could have finished with, and it leaves open a world of possibilities.

I specifically liked a Borf tag I found under a narrow awning, under which I only happened to be standing because it was pouring rain. A few other examples stand out.

Good call on going to Flickr, Capps. For those not familiar, a Borf primer.

JT,
Nice link. Essentially, the guy's a publicity hog. He doesn't have any grandiose anti-capitalist theory. He's just an 18-year old kid that likes the attention. That's all perfectly understandable but far from admirable.
Scott

and iPod DJ night–stories for the rest of us.

what does that mean? when has anybody you know told an "iPod DJ night story"?

somehow, i think even with borf gone, people will continue to have a fun time in this city.

Relax—I was riffing on the subjects that local media choose to cover. I definitely have a good time in this city and so do all my friends, but that doesn't seem to shake its perennial stuffy image.

Borf, it was great while it lasted. I can't say you were the greatest tagger in the world but you are one heck of writer. The Roosevelt Bridge sign is the most memorable (not to mention articulate) piece of art I've seen created in this city.

Good luck and God speed

PS: The tags on the pediment over the Payless on Columbia Rd. were just mean.

sorry, i just thought it was kind of a ridiculous sentence. anyway, borf was fun, i agree. i enjoyed seeing new tags in unexpected places. but i guess i don't feel the kind of nostalgia for him that a lot of people are already expressing. i am dead inside, however.

The Roosevelt Bridge sign was the greatest piece of graffiti I've ever seen. I don't think the kid really knows what he's been talking about. I mean, come one, anarchy? That's alright, though, he's 18. He'll grow up and soon begin to understand the nuances of the real world.

im curioius kriston why nod to the wooster collective on this one?

Being a highly prominent street art blog, Wooster Collective is exactly the sort of group (in my mind) you'd want to mention when writing about a street artist who captured the public imagination. And they chronicled Borf's work, to boot.

i don't really see the lack of a wooster mention as an omission but rather not really having a real context for throwing it in. i dont see that his work was chronicled either. veterans like banksy, neckface and others yes, but borf is a relatively young artist and hasn't reached that kind of notoriety and i think he'd be the first to admit it.

i think the most interesting thing about the guy's work is that his anarchist ideology affects his street art to the point of leaning his expression to a text-intensive campaign away from both stenciling and graffiti.

Borf picked up at least two mentions in WC, but I might be mistaken in thinking that he was given significant attention on that site. But I don't think it would be wrong to say that Borf is like banksy, invader, et al., even if he is not as talented or as tested or what have you as them.

You have an interesting reading, moreofdis, but I can't see the way to arrive at that without having read the Washington Post article. I never read the political theory in his graffiti that his supporters seem to have seen; and as text-only graffiti is neither new nor unique to Borf, I wouldn't have concluded that he was doing something so intentional or distinct as to specify a distinct political ideology. But I see what you're saying; in a similar vein, I adhere to the leftist/socialist reading of Christo's work.

i belive in borf.

he may not be talented
or make any sense but
he's out there&& that's
all that counts.

More or less not much going on worth mentioning. Pretty much nothing seems worth doing. I've just been staying at home not getting anything done. So it goes. I've just been letting everything wash over me lately, but I guess it doesn't bother me. My mind is like a complete blank.,

More or less not much going on worth mentioning. Pretty much nothing seems worth doing. I've just been staying at home not getting anything done. So it goes. I've just been letting everything wash over me lately, but I guess it doesn't bother me. My mind is like a complete blank.,

More or less not much going on worth mentioning. Pretty much nothing seems worth doing. I've just been staying at home not getting anything done. So it goes. I've just been letting everything wash over me lately, but I guess it doesn't bother me. My mind is like a complete blank.,