Placa/Rollcall
- Placa/Rollcall
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Charles “Chaz” Bojórquez, Placa/Rollcall, 1980, acrylic, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist. Reproduced courtesy of Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg, from “Our America: The Latino Presence in American Art.”
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Charles “Chaz” Bojórquez is a Mexican-American artist who grew up in Los Angeles in the 1950s and ’60s. There, he was introduced to the cholo writing, particularly in East Los Angeles, where latino gangs would tag buildings in their neighborhoods to claim their territory. Unlike the bright cartoon-style murals of the East Coast graffiti, cholo writing features stark black-and-white lettering that pays homage to traditional typefaces. Bojórquez created his own style of cholo writing, which he began to tag on the streets throughout the 1970s and ’80s. His work is a variation on the classic Gothic, an homage to traditional writing, but with sharp lines and accents. Now 67, Bojórquez continues to work and considers himself one of the oldest living graffiti artists.
