Art + Anthropology

Konan, one of Almaty's oldest graffiti artists painting in the city square

In September 2008, artists James Reitano and Daniel Gallegos, and filmmaker Davon Ramos traveled to Kazakhstan to work with local artists to paint and document a graffiti arts festival. Sponsored by the U.S. embassy, in collaboration with the Tengri Umai Gallery, the project involved over twenty graffiti and hip hop artists. The week of collaboration between US and Kazakh artists culminated in a music and graffiti festival in the city center open to all citizens of Almaty.

Almatenski graffiti writers

Photo by Nail Mukumzhanov

The graffiti art festival in Almaty
Photo by Kuanysh Bazargaliyev

Photo by Kuanysh Bazargaliyev

From left to right, James Reitano, three Kazakhstani soldiers, and Daniel Gallegos

After the festival, James, Daniel, and Davon flew to Shymkent, Kazakhstan to teach the fundamentals of graffiti at a local art school.  They showed the students how to design basic graffiti structures, and from there, how to paint and create finished graffiti art.

Finally, through the The Legal Center for Women's Initiatives, a local NGO, the three of them went to visit an orphanage in Shymkent. They walked the children through the principals of graffiti art using a roll of white paper, pencils, ink pens, and crayons.  Afterwards the children worked on their own drawings with the "Diplomats".

An art school student in Shymkent, Kazakhstan

James and Daniel show the art students how to create the basic elements of a graffiti mural.

Drawing instruction at an orphanage in Shymkent

Learning the basics of graffiti art

Diplomats
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Artpologist is

A collective of artists and social scientists that combine art and anthropology to engage in the visual exploration of urban landscapes. As artists, we investigate cities through visual means. As anthropologists, we use ethnographic fieldwork to situate our inquiry in the perspective of different people in changing places.