Chapter 41: The Seventh Letter

Founding Publishers		Mike and Stephen Malbon
Creative Director		Sir Frank
Guest Curator		The Seventh Letter
Editor In Chief		Frank Green
Managing Editor		Adam Pasulka
Associate Editor		Caitlin Levison Collins
Editor At Large		J. Nicely
Reality Editor		Dan Tochterman
Photo Editor		Craig Wetherby
Art Director		Thomas Bongiorno
Lead Designer		Nicholas Acemoglu
Production Director		Anton Schlesinger
Production Assistant		Christian Hinestrosa
Cover Art		The Universe Is Round Although Here It Is Depicted Within A Square. by REVOK
Copy Editor		Erika Jarvis
Contributors		Aaron Levant, anarchosyn, Jared Freedman, Roger Gastman, GONE, Steve Grody, Jonas Lara, Lani Lee, Yosuke Nakata, Brooke Novak, Willie T, Adam Wallacavage
Interns		Vanessa Bermudez, Caitlin Diaz

Director of Legal Affairs		Brian J. Marvin
Associate Publisher		Eric Shorter
Marketing Director		Domingo Neris
Distro League Manager		Dave Cove
Chop Shop Head Barber		Mr. Bee
Chop Shop General Manager		Adriel Ortiz
US/Japan Ambassador		Daisuke Shiromoto
Far East Operations Directors		Lyntaro Wajima, Takayuki Shibaki
Far East Logistics		Yosuke Nakata, Tomonori Mitsuo
Industry Relations		Christian Alexander, Daks

The Seventh Letter was founded in 2000 by the rumored leader of the infamous West Coast graffiti crews AWR MSK to act as a platform for crew members to showcase their work in the form of fine-art exhibitions, apparel, and other special projects.

The Seventh Letter is an army of artistic individuals with roots not just in graffiti, but also in fine art, tattoo, graphic design, sculpture, photography, and music. Based in Los Angeles, The Seventh Letter’s tentacles have spread around the world to cities including San Francisco, Atlanta, Philadelphia, New York, Chicago, Jersey City, London, Paris, Milan, Naples, Budapest, Tokyo, Cologne, Seoul, and Bangkok.

If you live in a major metropolitan area, you’ve probably seen The Seventh Letter’s work—boldly rolled in white paint across a New York City wall, carefully worked onto a movie billboard in Australia, touring France on the side of a commuter train, or featured in a Los Angeles Gallery. Frank Book Chapter 41: The Seventh Letter features the world’s most notorious art collective, showcasing not only the crew’s art, but also the individual members’ interests and personal archives.

Release Date: Summer 2010

EKLIPS

Images: EKLIPS
Intro: EWOK

There’s that scene at the end of the Wizard of Oz (pause) where Toto pulls back the curtain and exposes the real person running the show. The weird thing is, if you watch that scene on Blu-ray, you can just barely see this ghostlike image of a figure way off in the distance behind another curtain operating that first guy you thought was running the show. That’s EKLIPS. Look for his name in the credits.

Posted on 08.22.11 4:59 PM by FrankGreen

RISK

Interview: Jared Freedman
Intro photo: Willie T

For those of you unfamiliar with Kelly Graval, I’ll give you a hint: if you’ve ever driven the 405, 10, 101, 605, 91, walked down Sunset Blvd, Hollywood Blvd, Fairfax, or just about any other corner of the city, you’ve seen his work. No, he doesn’t do construction or sanitation. He’s the graffiti artist widely known as RISK.

But to simply call RISK a graffiti artist is an understatement. He is the forefather of graffiti who earned his bachelor’s degree in Fine Art from the University of Southern California. He has shown in LA, New York, Tokyo, Barcelona, and South Korea. An entrepreneur, RISK launched the first graffiti-influenced clothing line, Third Rail. He has collaborated with real heavy-hitters including Keith Haring, Barry McGee, and the entire Seventh Letter crew. He’s a founding member of WCA (West Coast Artists) and MSK, and it was my pleasure to sit down with him.

Posted on 08.23.11 5:09 PM by FrankGreen

POSE

Words: Noah Banks
Photos: KC Ortiz

Like anyone else in the crew, POSE’s position was earned through pure dedication and lessons learned in blood, sweat, and court cases. With 18 years in the game, his run has been deep, hilarious, and far less known than the shiny over-publicized jpegs you might catch on the net.

Posted on 06.05.10 5:50 PM by FrankGreen

EWOK

Interview: Adam Pasulka
Introduction: SEVER

Internationally feared playboy, wasp-tongued enfant terrible of the blogosphere, champion of the arts: DJ Denzel Washington (of the Sexual Stallions DJ Crew) AKA EWOK has been all of these things. Over the past two decades the reclusive Milwaukee native has redefined the boundaries of graffiti and in the process inspired the imagination of the world.

Posted on 06.05.10 10:15 AM by FrankGreen