MTN WORLD

Paying tribute to those that have passed is a way of preserving the past and honoring the present.

Spie and the Manilatown Heritage Foundation are honoring graffiti writer Mike DREAM Francisco, murdered in February 2000 in a tragic event, who used to combine art and activism. Throughout the years family and friends have kept his legacy and messages alive.

Through photographs by Abe Menor, memories of his earlier work are revealed in this exposition.

“I remember when we were kids we would take the BART up to San Francisco and Oakland from San Jose to check out the graff spots and catch flicks. For the most part we were kids looking for an adventure. We would run around places like Psycho City and the Mission in San Francisco and also the Fruitvale Station and the Coliseum Walls in Oakland. We would sometimes just walk the tracks or go to abandon areas in hopes to discover hidden treasures.”

“We didn’t really have graffiti magazines nor did we have the internet back then, so we had to travel to see graffiti or to meet the writers we either heard about or looked up to. I remember we went to Psycho City for the first time and I felt like I was in a fantasy world. It was a Spie and Dream production that hovered above everyone. These two writers we all looked up to. I remember they had style locked down. The one thing that got me hooked on these two writers was not only their styles, but the force they were coming with behind the culture, knowledge, and elements they always added to their art.”