1997 Futura Lee Quinones Stash Exhibition Poster ' Contents Under Pressure'

By: Futura 2000, Lee Quinones, STASH

Year: 1997

Condition: 4

Size: 

Medium: Exhibition Poster

Frame: Custom Cut White Wood w/ Red Float Mat

About: Rare exhibition poster featuring 3 of NYC's greatest graffiti writers / artists for their 1997 London exhibition 'Contents Under Pressure.' The exhibition took place prior to each of the artists reaching the level of fame and acclaim they've reached in the 25 years since and was an extremely early case of utilizing the internet as a gallery tool. Other notable points on this piece- the Project Dragon web link (Futura/Stash imprint of the past), the inclusion of Mo'Wax as the publisher (UK Record label, James Lavelle, UNKLE), Levi's sponsorship and the coincidence of the event being hosted at Rivington Street- but in London rather than NYC's LES.

About the Exhibition: 

The Contents Under Pressure exhibition was held at The Tramshed featuring work by by Futura 2000, Lee Quinones and Stash 2, held from May - June 1997.^[1]

A 16 page program booklet was produced and given the MoWax Arts (MWA) catalogue number MWA003, with special thanks to James Lavelle, Fraser Cooke, and the Mo' Wax Staff.^[2]

Oddly, the poster for the exhibition bills it as "Exurban iconography on exhibition", with no mention of "Contents Under Pressure." The poster also lists the exhibition dates as May 23-June 8 1997, whereas Design Week in 1997 listed it as showing from May 30 - June 6 1997,^[3] and Blueprint lists them as 22 May-9 June 1997.^[4]

In Blueprint May 1997 the exhibition was described as "Spanning nearly three decades of their work, the exhibition includes three NYC subway cars painted by the artists exclusively for the show." Three artworks are also featured in the article Remorseless Now by Lee, TVM by Stash 2, and an as yet untitled piece by Futura 2000.

Contents Under Pressure brings three of the world's biggest names in graffiti art to London for an exhibition of spray can art - on canvas, in 3-D, and on computer screen. Work by Lee Quinones, Stash 2 and Futura 2000 goes on show from tomorrow until June 8 at the Tramshed in Shoreditch (www.project dragon.com/contents). And you thought graffiti was about sniffing solvents and bunking off school. All three see the Net as the natural successor to the egalitarian canvas of the subway train. `The gallery is elitist. Censored,' says Futura. `The Internet gives you the spontaneity, immediacy and freedom that's the same as writing your message on a wall. Except this time it's not just your neighbours who'll see it, this time your message has global ramifications.' More to the point, Police Officer Dibble won't turn up later to scrub it out.