B.N.E. is a prolific graffiti artist known for tagging his tag "BNE" in public spaces around New York City and globally using stickers. He has been tagging for over 15 years and aims to spread his tag as widely as major corporate logos. Some see his work as vandalism, while others are impressed by his success in creating a globally recognized brand without selling any products. More recently, a website was launched claiming to donate the recognition of the BNE brand to charitable causes, though it is unclear if this is directly connected to the artist.

1. The Institute of Higher Burnin’

2. RIP
5pointz

3. RIP
5pointz

4. RIP
5pointz

5. Owen Dippie (OD) in 2010

6. James Cochran
Pointilism aerosol on wall 2013

7. Semor, Onur, Wes21, & Kkade
Fressen & Gefressen Werden aerosol @5pointz 2013

8. Esteban
de Valle
Beauty and the
Beast
2012

9. RIP
5pointz

10. OG Art Historians!
CHAMPIONS OF EARTH AT 5 POINTZ! 2011!

11. Stickers (adhesives)aakash nihalani
stikman

12. While looking down at the
ground…

15. Tenzin: Robot/ghost
Azalea: It looks like a
five minute cut out.
Yeva: It’s from a video
game, the eyes, the
squarishness
Jenn: It looks kinda
pixelated.
Kendell: ”Hey Christian,
does that look like a
gun to you?”
Christian: “I don’t know
(looks around) yeah it
does.”
.
.

16. Ingrid: The movie Diary of a wimpy kid,
ther’es some moldy cheese.
Theresa: very basic.
Danisa: When you call a person “basic”
you’re saying that’re not unique and
mediocre.
ARTAN: YALL ARE HATERS.
Check the eyes! The chest! It’s all got
meaning! Look at it properly!!
Julio: it looks a bit dirty….
Katelyn: OK. So. I disagree with Artan.
Does there HAVE to be meaning behind
it? Can’t it just be fun?
Magda:I agree with Katelyn…but I see
how Artan says it COULD have
meaning. The style is “uneven” the
artist could have made it straight.
Michael: maybe this is like
him marking his property.

17. stikman
(He thinks the
word looks better
missing the "c"
and without
capitalization.)
@66th
and Broadway
2014

18. stikman
2009
Bedford Ave
Williamsburg
Brooklyn

19. The mysterious artist known only as "Stikman" has
been infesting urban landscapes with art for more
than 20 years. His work is sneaky, incredibly
thought provoking and uncommonly satisfying to
come across, and if you have been living on the
east coast or, well, basically anywhere in the states
you no doubt have discovered it in some aspect.

20. “Graffiti is the biggest
and most open art
movement in human
history. It is the
closest to free
expression we have.”

21. “Humans have always drawn these sort of simple
characters, it’s just our way of showing complex
meaning in a simple way. There are some really
beautiful ones in a cave in France somewhere that
were done thousands of years ago.”

22. ….a cave in France somewhere…

23. STRANGELY….
There’s not a lot of information out there about stikman
He’s almost as reclusive as Banksy, but nowhere near as well known.
And strangely enough, the best place to find stikman’s work is on
Tumblr, where the few people who are able to find his work post it under
#stikman

24. TUMBLR HEROS….
@damonabnormal
Damon Landry
Since 2005
Los Angeles
stikman twerks

25. TUMBLR HEROS….
Stikman with a wee bit of fall foliage
@damonabnormal
Damon Landry
Since 2005
Los Angeles

26. TUMBLR HEROS….
Stikman pavement invader
@damonabnormal
Damon Landry
Since 2005
Los Angeles

27. THESE DAYS….

28. THESE DAYS….

29. OTHER Adhesive Artists!

30. 1. Daymoni: What are the people
she used to write graffiti with
doing now?
The people I used to write graffiti with are
mostly all successful artists like me. Guys like
Daze and Crash are super famous also Doze and
Erni, Mare 139, Kel, Kenji. Some of these guys I
went to High School with. We are all very
supportive of each other, like family :) Some
people I lost touch with after 30 years, some
took regular jobs and put their outlaw ways
behind them.

31. Tenzin: Were her parents
supportive of her doing graffiti at
such a young age?
• No!!!! My parents were not supportive!! I, their
daughter was sneaking out of the house in the
middle of the night to go to the worst neighborhoods
to meet up with a group of teen boys (riffraff) to
vandalize something. That’s a parents worst
nightmare! I was an out of control teen-ager and I’m
really lucky nothing bad happened to me then.
• My parents supported my art exhibits. I’ve been
showing and selling my paintings in galleries since I
was 16, with their full support.

32. . Azalea: Does she have kids? If she
does, would she allow her kids to
do graffiti??No I don’t have kids, I mentor young people though. At a mural project
I’ve have been asked by a H.S. student if I’d take him to vandalize
something? NOOOOO! When you get to be a grown up you just can’t
send a child into danger ( graffiti is dangerous). Would you let a 4 yr. old
toddler go and play on a busy street? You just can’t do it. It’s part of
human nature to protect the young ones. Some of my friends who
wrote graffiti and have kids find their kids aren’t interested in anything
their parents like. Some write with their kids, gotta watch their backs.
Most give their kids legal walls and opportunities to do art not
vandalism. Lawyers are very expensive!

33. . 4. Delani: Is there any artwork she
regrets making?
No I don’t really regret any work, even the
horrible stuff I had to paint to pay the bills.
When I really hated some commission I HAD to
paint, I didn’t sign it and I denied I painted it. I
can’t regret being successful and being able to
support myself and my husband doing art, never
had to take a regular boring job. I’ve always
been under pressure to do brilliant fine art work
so I have few regrets. I’m probably just blocking
out memory of terrible art I did….

34. 5. Moh: Do you prefer your work in
the street or a museum?
• 5. Work in the streets or museums? In the street I can paint larger, my audience is
more diverse, with no one having to approve my design or give me money so they
could pull my strings. I do have to be sensitive to the community and make it a
family friendly wall, non-controversial, no politics, no religion, nothing offensive.
My mural will sit in someones neighborhood for a long time and they have to see it
everyday so “uplifting and happy” is their first wish for the mural.
• Painting/showing in a museum means it can be controversial, offensive, anything
goes! The freedom of an art exhibit space is the freedom of expression, it’s
absolute and very awesome, but there’s intense pressure!!! It’s only for the very
brave! You can get crazy here though, not so much in the streets, a museum is a
platform where you can say whatever, protest an injustice, have a voice. They do
give you money so they can pull your strings if they want, bummer. It’s just an
incredible honor to even be invited into a museum, not many people get to ever
show in a museum. Anybody can get a permission wall to paint but to get into a
museums permanent collection is almost impossible for self taught artists.
• It’s like apples and oranges- I like both.

35. • A wall on the front side of the school, 5th
floor.
• A wall over by the WEST hallways
• Street level brick walls on any side of the
building
• The wall before the steps when you enter the
building
• The double DOORS in the hallways (or the
space above them?)
• Inner hallways near Jewram with the big walls
• Lockers!

36. BNE

37. 116 and broadway

38. • In relentlessly spreading his tag, B.N.E.
follows graffiti writers with nicknames
like Taki, Revs and Cost. The idea is to
leave one’s mark in as many places as
possible, in wry, brash and
mischievous ways — a process known
as “getting up.” “I’ve always rebelled
against authority,” B.N.E. said. “Like
any kid, I wanted to write the whole
neighborhood. Most kids like that
would then want to go out and do the
whole city. In my case, I wanted to do
the whole planet.”
• BNE‘s chosen font is
Helvetica Neue Condensed.
It is bold. Flat. Serious.
Unflinching.

39. BNE
BNE painting a warehouse wall in Hell’s Kitchen, Manhattan in 2009
Nytimes.com

40. BNE
“You kind of isolate yourself, living
this life,” he said. “You meet a girl
and she asks, ‘What do you do?’
and right way, you have to lie.”
B.N.E. said he was in his early 30s
and funded his tagging through
part-time jobs — again, no details.
His accent and knowledge of local
artists suggests he is from New
York. He said he began 15 years
ago painting in the old-school
graffiti style of flashy lettering,
then simplified his style and, 10
years ago, started with stickers.
“I can’t do 500 tags in a day, but I
can do 500 stickers,” he said.

41. BNE
“Let’s just say it has a meaning that’s personal
to me,” he said, acknowledging the conjecture
online: Breaking and Entering, Bomb Nuclear
Explosion. “At this point, it means whatever you
need it to mean.”

42. BNE
But Peter F. Vallone Jr., of Queens, chairman of the City Council’
s Public Safety Committee, condemned his work. “This isn’t even
someone who’s decided to go legitimate,” he said. “This is an
unrepentant criminal who has cost honest taxpayers a lot of money, and
he’s profited from it.”

43. BNE
“I don’t see other graffiti writers as my competition anymore. Now
I’m going up against the Tommy Hilfigers, Starbucks, Pepsi. You
have these billion-dollar companies, and I’ve got to look at their
logos every day. Why can’t I put mine up? …I [have created] a
globally recognized brand that offered no product or service.”

44. BNE
“I don’t see other graffiti writers as my competition anymore. Now
I’m going up against the Tommy Hilfigers, Starbucks, Pepsi. You
have these billion-dollar companies, and I’ve got to look at their
logos every day. Why can’t I put mine up? …I [have created] a
globally recognized brand that offered no product or service.”
Yeva: he seems a bit arrogant….these companies work so hard to
please and attract more customers.
Kellyah: I see this everywhere. But I wouldn’t compare it to these
other well known brands.
Kristen: I disagree with Yeva, but agree with Kellyah. I like what
he’s doing. It’s like saying he exists but you don’t know anything
about him! It’s like leaving your mark without a reason.
Moh: he’s got aspiration! He does his art to become “big” or
“known” or “famous” or a “big brand”
Tatiana: When you look at the logo, it’s hard to associate it with
anything.
.Jaylieen: ”Bacon n’ Egg, Boiiiii!”

45. BNE
“I don’t see other graffiti writers as my competition anymore. Now
I’m going up against the Tommy Hilfigers, Starbucks, Pepsi. You
have these billion-dollar companies, and I’ve got to look at their
logos every day. Why can’t I put mine up? …I [have created] a
globally recognized brand that offered no product or service.”

46. BNE
“B.N.E. has single-
handedly created a
globally recognized and
valued brand in the
new social economy…
His presence in Flickr
photo galleries and
YouTube pages dwarfs
that of many
multinationals.”
-Mother New York
Advertising Agency
What is a ‘Social Economy?’ How could this work?
Artan: He’s using this image to promote his
brand…but rather than using it to make
money, he’s just becoming more and more
famous.
Danisa: DON’T WRITE THIS DOWN.
Social = other people, talking
Economy = money.
Cass: It’s like word of mouth is the currency
at this time. The more that people talk about
you, the more influence you have.
Prince: Kim K. Attempts to set standards for
beauty and create trends that are
unavoidable.
Examples:
The Kardashians….They’re like a
distraction / entertainment. “It’s all up in my
feed, so I researched it.” – Ingrid.
Other people talk about it, so you wanna
know about it.

47. BNE
“B.N.E. has single-
handedly created a
globally recognized and
valued brand in the
new social economy…
His presence in Flickr
photo galleries and
YouTube pages dwarfs
that of many
multinationals.”
-Mother New York
Advertising Agency
What is a ‘Social Economy?’ How could
this work?
Azalea; Getting money from from social
media ads.
Sam: Economy is how stuff (money)
moves through society and the social
part is how ideas move through society.
Tenzin: A trend is created….and a
company (Vans) profited from this
trend.
Jaylieen: His name was “EriK” and he
was on ELLEN with his buddy Daniel
and they got free stuff.
XXX Tentacion and Trump do this,
1. CASHMEOUTSIDE
2. The “21” kid.
3. John Cena, setting up a question and
people would yell out John Cena.

48. BNEwater.org
“BNE” may seem like a corporate logo. You
might pass 5 Coca-Cola logos, 2 McDonalds
logos and a few BNE logos on your way to
work. The BNE logo has been in the streets for
over 15 years and its purpose was never to sell
anything. Instead of cashing in on all that
brand recognition, I felt it would be better to
donate it to a good cause.
Uganda, 2012 Indonesia, 2011

49. HOWEVER…... BNEwater.org

50. • Final thoughts? Ideas? Questions?
Sam: I don’t think this website is HIM….but if it isn’t, that’s so smart.
It’s like graffiti on graffiti. Whoever made this website is being anti-
corperate.
Azalea: How does he make a living?
Jaylieen: I thought this was a bit dumb. What’s the point of this?
Gyaban: he’s just a troll. He’s trolling big brands. He got all this
notoriety without selling anything.

51. • Final thoughts? Ideas? Questions?
Marco: He’s completed his goal to be recognized. I’ve grown up seeing
those things….but I had no idea it was just some guy...I thought it was
a company.
Magda: I liked what he was doing before….it was helping people, but
maybe...this new company is not legit??
Cass: I think it’s a played out joke….maybe he’s joking on branding and
company services? Like he’s offering his branding for a company that
doesn’t even exist. Why would a company buy a page and use his
influence without putting any info on it??? It’s free money!
Danisa: I feel CHEATED. It seems like he was doing good thing
“watering the poor??” But I guess he sold it to the Japanese Succulent
company??

52. MOAR Adhesive Artists!

53. Everywhere & Nowhere…

54. Snow bank on Canal St. Feb 2015

55. SNOEMAN is a New York City-based
graffiti writer, visual artist and a
member of the Smart Crew
collective. Always influenced by
classic east coast graffiti, Snoeman
began using spray paint in 2000 and
has become known for his gritty
aesthetic and raw depictions of New
York people, places and scenes.
In addition to traditional graffiti, he
works in a wide range of mediums
with a specialization in large-scale
aerosol murals and pen and ink
illustration. His work can be seen in
multiple cities throughout North
America and Canada, as well as
Western Europe, Southern Africa and
the West Indies.
Represented by Klug Haus…
A gallery in Chinatown…

56. Everywhere & Nowhere…
What we can infer…?
Tenzin: His style is unique. Most people don’t tag snow piles.
Azalea: His work is simple…not too fun, and not artistic.
Christian: If you tag snow….the snow will melt....and then the tag
melts...so he wants his work to not survive a long time?
.Ethereal! .
Jaylieen: All art is
ethereal. Like with
Swoon’s work. It
deteriorates.
Benzion: This could
be a hobby, or
something that
makes them happy.

57. Everywhere & Nowhere…
What we can infer…?
Prince: .He’s a dude. I think so.
Marco: He likes “snow”
Artan: His stickers remind me of the postage stickers.
Julio: He’s more well known for the stickers. Danisa: It’s EASIER
and faster to put up
stickers and walk
away.
.
.

58. SPACE INVADER

59. SPACE INVADER
Williamsburg Brooklyn The Highline
Chelsea/Meat packing District

60. SPACE INVADER
West Side Highway
Chelsea

61. Free Food!
Free Theater
and Dance
Productions!

62. SPACE INVADER
Initial reactions…
Katelyn:The use of color…it’s basic,
regular colors...blue white red.
Mariama: It looks like it takes work
to put those boxes together in the
right place to make the image.
Sarah:
DEST! The post –it art project !!!
Theresa: It’s CUTE. It’s small and it
brings back vintage age stuff.
Sarah: I’m SO MIXED UP! It’s cool
but it doesn’t grab my attention.
Sakin:
Danisa: Kozak you mad old
.
.
.
Pixels: Little squares of color
that make up an image.

63. SPACE INVADER
Initial reactions…
Jaylieen: UUMMMMM, it’s like when
you go to an arcade and it’s pixelated
like a pac-man game.
Mattia: Reminds me of some stuff in
the 70s with low-resolution.
Marco: It’s cool how it’s a big
cardboard cut out on the wall. (tiles?)
Vraj: Games like Mario….
Kristen: colors=poppin’ the designs
are hard-edge, without curves.
Kendell: Maybe this is made of clay??
Or bathroom tiles??
.
.
.
.
.
Pixels: It’s a square
of color on a
screen, or not?
Pixels have gotten
smaller and smaller
as tech progresses.

64. SPACE INVADER
When Invader arrives in a
city he obtains a map and
spends at least a week
installing the pixelated
mosaics, which are half-built
in advance of his trip. They
are catalogued,
photographed and Invader
uses a map indicating their
locations within the city.
Typically, mosaics are
located ten to fifteen feet
above the ground, and often
on street corners in areas of
high visibility. Later, the
maps, called "invasion
maps", are sold in his online
shop.

65. SPACE INVADER
AROUND THE WORLD!
On IG @invaderwasherewww.space-invaders.com

66. SPACE
INVADER
In 2015, New York City was
invaded for the 6th
time.
42 new pieces just appeared
in the Big Apple out of no-
where.
This is the most accomplished
Invasion ever undertaken in
this city, with some space
invaders mosaics but also
tributes to great icons of NYC
like Andy Warhol, Lou Reed,
Woody Allen, the Ramones,
Spider man or the Ninja
Turtles.

67. SPACE
INVADER
In 2015, New York City was
invaded for the 6th
time.
42 new pieces just appeared
in the Big Apple out of no-
where.
This is the most accomplished
Invasion ever undertaken in
this city, with some space
invaders mosaics but also
tributes to great icons of NYC
like Andy Warhol, Lou Reed,
Woody Allen, the Ramones,
Spider man or the Ninja
Turtles.

68. “I define myself as an UFA, an
Unidentified Free Artist. I chose
Invader as my pseudonym and I
always appear behind a mask. As
such, I can visit my own exhibitions
without any visitors knowing who I
really am even if I stand a few
steps away from them.”
Kendell: People can’t ask him to buy his art?
Gyaban: He can hear people respond to his art and hear their interpretations….see
how it measures up to his intentions. Some people might sugarcoat stuff if they
knew he was there. But if they don’t, they’ll say “that shit sucks.”
Tenzin: Maybe this is so he won’t get in trouble. The owner of the building would
be really mad at him.
Delani: So he can hear peoples opinions and critical feedback. Like how to make
his work better.
Daymoni: Maybe he wants people to only know his art…and not who he is as a
person.
.
.

69. “I define myself as an UFA, an
Unidentified Free Artist. I chose
Invader as my pseudonym and I
always appear behind a mask. As
such, I can visit my own exhibitions
without any visitors knowing who I
really am even if I stand a few
steps away from them.”
Artan: if you’re really famous, you may be noticed by people while walking down
the street. But he can walk freely any time of day or night.
Adrianna: He can appreciate his own work if he wants to. He can go back!
VOLVER!!
Cass: I guess he doesn’t care about fame. He just wants to make what’s close to
his heart.
Prince: HE’S SO COOL!!!! I like his work better than regular street art (paintings)
they look like legos and stuff. His work looks harder to do than regular drawing. It
makes me appreciate it more.
Sakin: OKAY. So….He seems to want to stay HUMBLE. He’s not so into making
money or branding himself (like BNE).
.

70. SPACE
INVADER
In his 2015 invasion of NYC,
Invader made pieces to
reference two very well
known street artists REVS
and COST who have been
painting our streets since the
90s
REVS and COST at the Highline

71. Cost and Revs both hit subways during the 1980s but it was their
street partnership that gained a great deal of attention from the
media and the general public. This attention was due to their
unconventional approach to bombing. During the late 1980s and early
1990s they proliferated New York City streets with a series of cryptic
messages in black type on sheets of white paper. One phrase on these
posters said "Real artists don't know they're artists.” A bold statement
about the ‘artistry’ visible in graffiti culture
The duo also installed names in large scale block letters with white
paint rollers. The simplicity of the letters was a departure from
standards set in traditional graffiti. This style would become a popular
alternative in the graffiti community. This style would later be referred
to as roller letters.

72. Not only is space invader referencing REVS and COST

73. FINAL THOUGHTS? REACTIONS? QUESTIONS?
•Sakin: His work is really unique. We’ve never
seen stuff like this guy’s work before. It’s 3D…and
it’s super rare...and he travels the world and his
website is AWESOME.
•Promia: I’m not a big fan of his work, but I’m
admiring how dedicated he is to his projects.
•NILAH: I’ve never seen anyone who does stuff
like this before. It’s cool that he goes through
with his work. He has a sense of mystery bout
him too.
•Mariama: I like his work, it’s different from most
people. It’s SPECIAL.
•.

74. FINAL THOUGHTS? REACTIONS? QUESTIONS?
•Kendell: it’s amazing how far he’s
reached….most people only do one city...but he’s
GLOBAL.
•Marco: It’s cool how he does the map. IT’s like a
treasure hunt! And if you visit a different city you
can get a map and find them!!
•Christian: I like the hidden factor of his work.
The designs are cool too. If I saw this, it would
make my day.
•Azalea: Simple, it’s not some long-day tiring
work. And It’s small.
•Daymoni: They’re animated. With the
pixilation.
•.
•.

75. Aesthetic differences
Personality differences
Political Intention differences

76. HumEn Bote
Wheat Pastin’ all over the darn place!