The wild ride of Lady Pink, a feminist graffiti artist, has blown up in popularity over the last few decades. Exemplified in ultra-famous artists like Banksy, who has sold works of his art at auction for more than $12 million.
He’s currently the household name when it comes to graffiti art, but there are so many seminal artists that paved the way for his worldwide success.
One of these trailblazers of graffiti art is Lady Pink, who took New York City by storm in the 1980s.
Skyrocketing to Iconic Status
Born in Ecuador and raised in NYC, Lady Pink (born as Sandra Fabara) was just a teenager when she first picked up a rattle can and started tagging subway cars in 1979 as a freshman in high school.
Before long, and despite being constantly shut down by an overwhelmingly male art movement, Lady Pink made more than a name for herself — she became a worldwide phenomenon, rubbing shoulders with Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat at exclusive art events.
She continued to hold her own by dodging cops as she decorated subways with her subversive and iconic art.
A Man’s World is Nothing Without a Woman
As a teenager in the 1990s, I was a huge fan of Lady Pink. Both for her artwork and also her fierce courage that bordered recklessness.
Without her influence on the street art world by representing women in a man’s domain, graffiti art would never have evolved to where it is today. This art form has highlighted political issues, not just decorated the sides of buildings and subway cars.
Today, Lady Pink’s artwork hangs in major galleries around the world. She continues to educate and inspire young artists through her lectures and workshops — and thus, helping to create the next wave of artists unafraid to push the limits of arbitrary legality to create art that speaks to your soul.
The Banksys of today stand on the shoulders of giants, and Lady Pink is certainly one of them.
