Does style define man? For centuries, style has been the focus of debate whether concerning writing, behavior or fashion. Around the late 1970s, the term “wild style” began to circulate among graffiti artists in the South Bronx to denote the kind of graphics involving complex, interlocking letters with aerodynamic forms. Coined by the legendary Tracy 168, the expression became associated with the rise of graffiti art in New York City, specifically in the Bronx, in the 1970s and that ultimately became a global movement. Started as an underground movement, the “wild style” is now part of the mainstream, studied as an art form and exhibited in museums all over the world. Bronx Lab—Style Wars features a number of works that reflect on that era to pose the question of what is today’s style.

Artists include Afrika Bambaataa, Henry Chalfant, Lady K Fever, Keith Haring, Dr. Lakra, Valerie Larko, Glendalys Medina, Johnny Perez, Tim Rollins and K.O.S., Rigoberto Torres, Tats Cru