AL DIAZ “SAMO”
NEW YORK CITY // NEW YORK
A prolific NYC subway writer turned text-oriented street artist, Al Diaz is best known for his collaboration with Jean-Michel Basquiat on the persona they created together “SAMO” as they used graffiti as their medium that appeared in Lower Manhattan from 1977 to 1979. The provocative tags featured short, enigmatic messages and slogans — a departure from the purely ego-based works of their predecessors and a glimpse of trends to come. Diaz has recently revived the SAMO legacy both on canvas and in the streets with new works that speak to the modern era.