Bio
Biography
Duel RIS was born in New York City in the early 70s, and spent his early years moving between the boroughs. Duel’s interests in art was piqued as a child, watching his mother paint oil on canvas. She was a fine arts teacher, and not only painted but sculpted as well. For a child with an eye and appreciation for art, New York City in the 70s, the whole city was a canvas. Parks, highways, public transportation – all covered in a new art medium that intrigued Duel. In 1984 he started writing graffiti and took the name Duel in 1986. Duel began bombing neighborhood handball courts and local streets, and quickly progressed to rooftops, highways, trucks, subways – anything with shock value and notoriety. In 1987, influenced by Slayer’s Reign in Blood album and psychology courses, Duel formed one of New York City's most notorious crews MCI (Most Criminally Insane). By the mid 90s, graffiti had led the artist down a dark and narrow path. To straighten himself out, he gave up on graffiti and enlisted in the U.S. Marines. The artist participated in several campaigns and combat tours. After his third deployment, the artist began to paint again for therapeutic reasons. The artist is still currently serving and actively paints. The artist is a member some of the most respected New York City graffiti crews: RIS, TFP, TDS, TNS, and VTS.
Credits
Heldman, Kevin. “Mean Streaks” Rolling Stone Magazine Issue 701, 1995: Page 52. Print.
JA One. “You Paid For Yours, I got Mine For Free!” STRESS Magazine Issue 13, 1998: Page 23. Print.
Marc Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure. Atari, Double Helix Games. 2006
KET. Black Book Masters. Berlin: From Here to Fame Pub., 2009. Print. Page 104.
Jenkins, Sacha, and David Villorente. Piecebook Reloaded: Rare Graffiti Drawings, 1985-2005. Munich: Prestels, 2009. Print. endpaper 3
KET. SentOne. Berlin: From Here to Fame, 2009. Print. Page 115
Lange, Tod. New York Subway Graffiti. Atglen, PA: Schiffer, 2009. Print. Page 77
Gastman, Roger, and Caleb Neelon. The History of American Graffiti. New York: Harper Design, 2010. Print. Page 65
Maridueña, Alain and Cousin Frank. Rockin' It Suckers: New York City's Most Wanted Graffiti Vandals. Årsta, Sweden: Dokument, 2010. Print.
Acker, Christian P. Flip the Script: A Guidebook for Aspiring Vandals & Typographers. Gingko Press Inc., 2013. Print. Page 129
Victory Makes Days. Dize Yome. Paris, 2014. Print. Pages 166-167.
Collective Exhibitions
November 2007: The Walls Belong to Us |The Powerhouse | Brooklyn, NY
October 2011: Don't Envy Art | Park Gallery | San Diego, CA
July 2011 & 2012: Comicon | San Diego Convention Center | San Diego, CA
July-August 2013: Mind in Transit | Known Gallery | Los Angeles, CA
September-October 2013 Street Culture | The Grassy Noel Gallery | Teaneck, NJ
January 2014 Ambition | Voz Alta | San Diego, CA
January 2014 Color Blind | Park Gallery | San Diego, CA
March 2014 Top of the Line | House of Styles | Modesto, CA
July-August 2014 Timebomb | Urban Arts Gallery | Brooklyn, NY
October 2014 Honey, I Shrunk the Streets | First Amendment Gallery | San Francisco, CA
December 2014 All Work and No Play | Art Primo | Seattle, WA
December 2014 20/20 | Vernissage | Montreal, Canada
May 2015 20/20 | Mindzai | Toronto, Canada
May 2015 A Group Show | Arlene's Grocery | New York, NY
May 2015 Art On Guard | Woot Bear | San Francisco, CA
June 2015 The Art of Shack | Reed Space | New York, NY
Contact: [email protected]