Downtown SD - Tag Wall

Found: Downtown San Diego, aprox 7th and C

Near the downtown trolley area, near a dilapidated building I came across this tag wall. Upon the wall were an array of different tags and bombs, all done in a simplistic black marker. What I found most interesting about these three works, (the 'name' tag, the 'slogan' tag, and the 'image' tag) is that they all three evoke a personal contribution of the taggers style, while each one is still depicting a different aesthetic element of the idealism of a simple graffiti tag. 

The first piece seems to have two different names, one of them Skylar, the other Tase (from what I can make out as an amateur). Rather than having any real insight into what the artist/tagger is trying to "make a statement" of, it seems that the statement itself is just getting the artist(s) name out in the open and into recognition, either by other taggers, or simply by-passers of the route.

 The slogan piece, "Bills" Kill All, gave me a similar vibe as the first piece, but worked with a different type of declaration. Rather than just a simple name tag, there's a bit of a play on words here... who is/are "Bills"? Are we using this as a euphemism for a person? Gang? Group of people? Lastly, the Slave piece was what originally caught my eye in the first place when walking along the wall. Differentiating from the other two pieces, this tag includes an element of visual symbolism, through the pyramid. 

Such as Style Wars focused so much of these young, fresh taggers marking up any space they could find to display their names onto, as a sense of self identity, I feel like a similar idea theme is going on here. Where in SW, the artists were literally using every inch of the subway trains to "mark their territory" or "stake their claim", here, in San Diego, these artists are making the same similar name for themselves by marketing their work on walls of buildings on main streets, where throngs of people walk by and will notice day in and day out. We as the viewer are getting a glimpse of personal representation through tag, symbol, statement without the artist ever having to show their face. We are then able to understand a piece of the artist's agenda, whatever it may be, through their work. The pieces are more for personal and inter-personal relationships between artists and taggers, rather than for the mainstream public to understand and relate to in the same way. It is as much as an emotional appeal to the creator of the work as anything.

Sources:
1. "Style Wars", 1983 Film, PBS.