TAKI 183 is the "tag" of a Greek-American
graffiti
Graffiti (singular ''graffiti'', or ''graffito'' only in graffiti archeology) is writing or drawings made on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from simple written "monikers" to elabor ...
st who was active during the late 1960s and early 1970s in
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
.
The graffitist, whose given name is Demetrios, has never revealed his full name.
Biography
TAKI 183 was a graffiti tagger active during the late 1960s and early 1970s in
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
. His tag was short for "Dimitraki", an alternative for his Greek birth-name Dimitrios, and the number 183 came from his address on 183rd Street in
Washington Heights.
He worked as a foot messenger in New York City and would write his
nickname
A nickname, in some circumstances also known as a sobriquet, or informally a "moniker", is an informal substitute for the proper name of a person, place, or thing, used to express affection, playfulness, contempt, or a particular character trait ...
around the streets that he frequented.
On July 21, 1971, ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' published an article about him titled ''"Taki 183" Spawns Pen Pals.''
TAKI 183 spurred hundreds of imitators including Joe 136, BARBARA 62, EEL 159, YANK 135 and LEO 136 as examples provided by the newspaper.
Those who got their names up the most and who developed signature tags became known in their communities. Graffiti became a way for many young people to try to get attention and the attention TAKI 183 received spurred this on.
TAKI 183 was last known to be the owner of a foreign car repair shop in
Yonkers
Yonkers () is the List of municipalities in New York, third-most populous city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and the most-populous City (New York), city in Westchester County, New York, Westchester County. A centrally locate ...
. In an interview with the ''
New York Daily News
The ''Daily News'' is an American newspaper based in Jersey City, New Jersey. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson in New York City as the ''Illustrated Daily News''. It was the first U.S. daily printed in Tabloid (newspaper format ...
'' of April 9, 1989, he talked about his retirement as a graffiti writer: "As soon as I got into something more productive in my life, I stopped. Eventually I got into business, got married, bought a house, had a kid. Didn't buy a spray can wagon, but I grew up, you could say that."
TAKI 183 was an early member of the artists collective
United Graffiti Artists, founded in 1972 by Hugo Martinez. It is also rumored he was an inspiration for the 1985 film ''
Turk 182.''
His graffiti appeared in the 1985 movie ''
Just One of the Guys.'' It appears on a ballroom stall wall after Joyce's character Terry uses the restroom for the first time as a man. TAKI 183 was also mentioned, and his art featured, in the 1983 documentary ''
Style Wars''.
Publication with contribution by Dimitrios
*''The History of American Graffiti.'' New York City:
Harper Design, 2011. By
Roger Gastman and Caleb Neelon. . Dimitrios contributed a foreword.
Film with contribution by Dimitrios
*''
Bomb It'' (2007) by
Jon Reiss
*''Wall Writers'' (2016) by
Roger Gastman
See also
*
Julio 204
JULIO 204 was a Puerto Rican resident of Inwood who wrote graffiti in his youth. He's usually credited as being the original New York City writer and the inspiration for Taki 183. He started writing his nickname in his neighborhood as early as ...
References
Further reading
* ''The Faith of Graffiti.'' Mervyn Kurlansky, Jon Naar, Norman Mailer. Praeger Publishers, New York, 1974. .
* ''Style: Writing from the Underground. (R)evolutions of Aerosol Linguistics.'', Stampa Alternativa in Association with IGTimes. .
* ''Subway Art.'' Chalfant, Henry and Cooper, Martha. New York, New York: Henry Holt & Co, publisher. , 198 4, 1995.
* ''Freight Train Graffiti.'' Roger Gastman, Ian Sattler, Darin Rowland. Harry N Abrams Inc, 2006. .
* ''The Birth of Graffiti.'' Jon Naar. Prestel, 2007. .
* ''TAKI 183'' in ''Hip Hop Culture.'' Emmett G. Price, III. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, Inc., 2006, p. 187. . Also see pp. 30–31, 48, 106.
*''Taking the Train: How Graffiti Art Became an Urban Crisis in New York City'', Joe Austin, Columbia University Press 2001.
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Taki 183
American people of Greek descent
American graffiti artists
Anonymous artists
People from Washington Heights, Manhattan
1953 births
Living people