Lady Pink (Ecuadorian American, b. 1964). Colored pencil on vellum titled "Bomber Girls" depicting two caricatures of young women dressed in blues and pinks, smoking and graffitiing a brick wall while a male shadow looms in the background against an urban landscape, 2001. Pencil signed and dated along the lower right.

Provenance: Private Minnesota Collection.

Lot Essay:
Born as Sandra Fabara in Ecuador and raised in New York City, Lady Pink emerged as a prominent figure in the burgeoning graffiti art movement during the late 1970s. Tiptoeing around train yards and subway cars, she honed her skills, and undeterred by the predominantly male landscape, Lady Pink's distinct style and tenacity quickly set her apart, earning her recognition as one of the pioneering female graffiti artists. By the 1980s, Lady Pink's impact reverberated beyond streets and subway walls. Museums and galleries, including the pivotal "GAS: Graffiti Art Success for America" show in New York at Fashion Moda, embraced her work and cemented her virtuosity while she was merely in her twenties. In 1983, she also solidified her position in the cultural zeitgeist and starred in the iconic cult film "Wild Style" (dir. Charlie Ahearn, 1983), which was renowned for capturing the dynamic hip hop and graffiti scene of New York at the time by seamlessly blending narrative, documentary, and musical. It is still widely recognized today for immortalizing the emergence and subsequent development of hip hop culture.

Throughout her career, Lady Pink has been a trailblazer, using her art as a platform to challenge norms and advocate for social change. She founded one of the first all-female graffiti crews in 1980 and maintained a consistent commitment to sociopolitical themes in her art. This included frequent depictions of strong, empowered female figures, reflecting her unflinching feminist attitude. "Bomber Girls" exemplifies these sentiments through a fusion of brilliant colors and bold aerosol strokes. Blues and pinks permeate the scene through clothing and spray paint script, amplified against the banal brick wall. The colors evoke a traditional female and male binary but lack any clear-cut organization. They are scattered throughout the image, clashing with one another in each woman's outfit or on the wall, suggesting that the artist rejects the rigidity of social gender hierarchies, much in the same vein as her proudly feminine moniker (Lady Pink) emphasized her identity when she was an up-and-coming graffiti artist creating within a mainly masculine scene.

The duo of confident young women in the foreground, adorned in hyper feminine dress—gold hoop earrings, accentuated cerise lips, and shadowy satellite eyes—also behave “unladylike." The woman on the left carelessly dangles a cigarette from the corner of her mouth while the other defaces a public brick wall with phrases like “muck”. With an expression of faux apology, the woman on the left curls her arm to her chest and raises her hand to her chin, indicating that she recognizes the rebelliousness of her behavior, yet she persists. In the boldness of their conduct, the women offer an attitude of defiance, further reinforcing the artist's rejection of gendered conventions and etiquette.

Behind them, the juxtaposed shape of a male figure evokes the looming presence of masculine authority over the temerity and creativity of the feminine figures, not unlike the “boys club” of street artists that the artist herself has competed against throughout a career spanning over four decades. Over the course of this time, Lady Pink's contributions to the street art movement have left an indelible mark, and “Bomber Girls” serves as a noteworthy testament to her enduring artistic legacy.
Height: 14 in x width: 8 1/2 in. Please contact us for a detailed condition report. Please note that the lack of a condition statement does not imply perfect condition. Email condition@revereauctions.com with any condition questions.