Taki183

Graffiti writers around the world know the name: TAKI183. A teenager from 183rd Street in Washington Heights in northern Manhattan, he started writing his name in 1969. TAKI is a diminutive for a number of Greek names, and his street number following was the style of wall writers of the era. In the summer of 1970, TAKI 183 worked as a messenger, which took him well beyond his neighborhood. Pocketing the taxi fare provided by his employer, he walked to his delivery destinations instead, writing along the way, making him the first graffiti writer to go “all-city.” TAKI's simple signature captured the attention of a reporter and, in the summer of 1971, an article appeared in The New York Times. TAKI was the first New Yorker to become famous for writing graffiti. TAKI 183 is a legend whose name has traveled the world and is one of the forefathers of the graffiti movement.