Visual Orgasm: Early Years of Canadian Graffiti by Adam Melnyk

Visual Orgasm showcases the history of Canadian graffiti and its American inspiration, featuring Canadian graffiti artists and images of the last thirty years. The foreword is by graffiti legend Zephyr, known for his graffiti in New York in the 1980s.

"Graffiti can be a stealthy, dark and literally dirty passion. It takes people to places less travelled, at least by most citizens. Dark alleys, transit lines, warehouses and under bridges are the locales where most graffiti is created. Graffiti is married to the urban setting but one element that changed some of that was the popularity of freight trains, which enabled graffiti writers in small towns to achieve national fame. Daser and Ren in Ottawa and Toronto respectively got into it quickly in 1993 and Virus and Cosoe did the same in Vancouver. Not only were showcases of graffiti from the United States travelling to Canada but now we could do the same, both for our own audiences as well as for the Americans. Freights are a rolling canvas, an open gallery where the featured artist changes daily – you don’t have to leave your city to see graffiti art from places as far away as Los Angeles, Mexico, Miami and Texas. Freight trains may well be the closest thing to the painted passenger and subway trains that rolled through New York in the 1980s. And just as those are long gone, so are the majority of the pieces shown in this book. That is why sharing the preserving and the sharing of the early years of Canadian graffiti is so vital." -- Adam Melnyk, from the Introduction

ADAM MELNYK is Canada’s pre-eminent documentarist of Canadian graffiti. His website www.visualorgasm.com provides the public with thousands of recent and historic images from across Canada. Melnyk developed his interest as a young man, using graffiti as a topic for most of his university papers. A graduate in Communications with a minor in Urban Studies, he has been drawn to the gritty existence of alternate art forms and street art.

Melnyk interviewed several dozen graffiti writers who were active in the 1980 – 1993 period when Canadian graffiti was developing. He explored the influences, the challenges and the originality that characterized this early period in Canada. The book is an oral history which is illustrated with hundreds of images, many of which have now disappeared from their original locations. The book is an archive of early triumphs and frustrations. The writers themselves discuss what drew them to graffiti, how they survived and then left the art behind.

Street art is a controversial topic that has its supporters and detractors. This book reveals the inside story of an important moment in Canadian youth culture which continues to influence young people today. Whether one considers graffiti “art” or “vandalism”, one cannot help but admire the courage and talent of the artists in this book.

Melnyk lives in Calgary with his family. He works in the field of homelessness, helping marginalized individuals transition into a more secure environment.

Tour Dates

CALGARY - November 29th, 6 - 8 pm
Endeavor Arts Space, 1209 1st Avenue SW

WINNIPEG - December 3rd, 4 - 6 pm
Graffiti Gallery,  109 Higgins Avenue

VICTORIA - December 9th, 7 - 9 pm
Higher Ground Clothing, 760 Yates Street 

VANCOUVER - December 10th, 3 - 6 pm
PD's Hotshots and Skull Skates,  3734 W 10th Avenue (at Alma)

978-1-897181-50-8, $29.95 pb

Adam Melnyk is available for interviews. Visual Orgasm is published by Frontenac House Media Ltd. For further information, contact lyn cadence at lyn@frontenachouse.com or 403.465.2345