Adonis Diaries

Nelson and Larry Chip: Taggers (February 5, 2009)

I got the idea of this article out of a chapter in the French book “Like a drifting eagle” by the Lebanese author Alexandre Najjar.

Nelson Chip is a tagger; that is how he describes his profession.  Nelson cannot help it: he always carries a painting “bomb” to tag his graffiti on anything drab, ugly, plain boring. Nelson tags on crumbling walls, graying train carriages, dirty metro subways, but never on private properties, telephone booths, private cars, or window shops.

Nelson is not a drug addict or a drunkard; he works alone and by night fall. He likes his privacy and solitude. Nelson tags works of art, messages of peace, of hope, expressive words in order to cheer up what he judges to be drab and uninspiring; many gangs try to emulate his artistic calligraphy design by tagging their war names for narcissistic exhibition.

Larry Chip is his Nelson’s brother; he also paints.

The ID plaque on his combat uniform states “CDR-Larry Chip-Combat Artist“.  The Navy Art Gallery dispatched Larry to Kuwait during Desert Storm war against Iraq in 1992.

Larry’s job was to draw soldiers and immortalize the G.I.  He then painted over 30 of these portraits for the exhibit in his honor.

During the war, Larry was distinguished and received recognition by painting graffiti on missiles and bomb shells destined for the Iraqi civilians. Sort of foul languages against the Iraqis…

Two brothers, two artists; Nelson is serving jail terms for carrying a painting bomb in his bag; he is charged of “voluntary defacing, degrading, deterioration of public properties and monuments”.  Nelson is no longer permitted shaving foam. He said: “My hands itch when I carry a painting bomb; I have to relieve my idea, to express my revolt; I have then this irrepressible desire to paint”

Larry returned home a War Hero; the famous and glamorous are flocking to watch his artistic “chef d’oeuvre” in Washington, DC.

Two brothers, two artists “painters”.

Nelson’s art are still emulated by the little people to express their frustrated emotions and miserable living.

Larry’s graffiti disintegrated; only the hate mongers are emulating his art: the Zionists painted blasphemous graffiti on missiles and shells targeted to Palestinian babies in Gaza.