Train 

This graffiti was made by Cope2, probably sometime in the last few decades, using spray paint on the side of a train car. The aerosol can, developed for industrial purposes, found a new life as the quintessential tool of street art. The spray allows for expansive coverage, bright colors, and a relatively quick application. All these qualities are essential when working illicitly. Cope2 uses bold lettering and vibrant colors to draw the eye, an approach that balances legibility with abstraction, the immediate readability of the tag with the visual pleasure of pure form. The very act of marking public, often industrial spaces, reclaims them. It represents a bold assertion of identity within a built environment, a powerful mode of expression for those whose voices may otherwise be marginalized. Understanding this work requires recognizing the interplay between the physical means of its making, the context of its creation, and the social statement it makes.