COPE2 "Stayhigh" Canvas
Gordon Wayne Roberts created the tag Stay High 149, combined it with a smoking, halo-adorned stick man he borrowed from The Saint television show and changed the face of graffiti. It's hard to imagine a trip through the subway system in early 70's without seeing his name a dozen times. Changing to his secondary alias, voice of the ghetto, around 1974 , ,he introduced the world to two and three toned markers that spewed rainbows of psychedelic cool. After a 25 year disappearance , a time during which many assumed him dead, he reappeared at a graff show in 2000 and soon launched a comeback that gave a new generation a chance to know and love his work. His tags had the rarest combination of style and meaning I've ever witnessed . High Maintenance is about paying back one of the most inspirational , yet humble cats to ever wield a marker. His spirit and legacy has touched every era of a culture that's blown up world wide. The artists who so generously donated their work for this benefit are giving their collective thanks to a man who transcended graffiti culture and in time be remembered as an American Folk Hero. All net proceeds from this sale will go to Stayhigh's Family.
COPE2’s paintings have been exhibited in solo and group exhibitions in galleries and auctions throughout the United States and abroad, including the Guernsey and the Philip De Pury & Company auctions, the McCaig Welles Gallery, The Showroom Gallery and The Bronx Museum of Arts in New York City; the Crewest Gallery in Los Angeles; the Fifty24SF Gallery in San Francisco; the Defiance Gallery in Chicago; the Skalitzers Gallery in Berlin; The Gallizia Collection in Paris; the Artdrenaline Gallery in Den Haag, Holland and The Federation Atrium Square Gallery in Sydney, Australia.
Cope2 was born and raised in the South Bronx, New York City, in 1968. He is a self taught artist who is a celebrated figure for over 30 years in the graffiti art culture. One of New York City’s most prolific graffiti artists, he began tagging his name in 1978. He developed his style in the subways and streets of the Bronx throughout the 1980’s and 1990’s achieving international recognition for his distinctive style.
In recent years Cope2 has been commissioned by Time Magazine and designed a set of sneakers for Converse and a full collection for Adidas. He has worked with Steiner Sports collaborating with the New York Yankees’ Derek Jeter producing graffiti on memorabilia. His work has even crossed into the virtual realm with appearances in video games such as Mark Eckos: Getting up and Rockstar Games: Grand Theft Auto IV.
Today, you can catch Cope2 in the studio painting, bringing his raw energy into abstract masterpieces, intertwined with his trademark bubble letters and tags on canvases. He has also delved into curating successful group exhibitions. Cope2 crosses between art world, mainstream and street culture alike.
About the Artist
COPE 2
COPE2’s paintings have been exhibited in solo and group exhibitions in galleries and auctions throughout the United States and abroad, including the Guernsey and the Philip De Pury & Company auctions, the McCaig Welles Gallery, The Showroom Gallery and The Bronx Museum of Arts in New York City; the Crewest Gallery in Los Angeles; the Fifty24SF Gallery in San Francisco; the Defiance Gallery in Chicago; the Skalitzers Gallery in Berlin; The Gallizia Collection in Paris; the Artdrenaline Gallery in Den Haag, Holland and The Federation Atrium Square Gallery in Sydney, Australia.
Cope2 was born and raised in the South Bronx, New York City, in 1968. He is a self taught artist who is a celebrated figure for over 30 years in the graffiti art culture. One of New York City’s most prolific graffiti artists, he began tagging his name in 1978. He developed his style in the subways and streets of the Bronx throughout the 1980’s and 1990’s achieving international recognition for his distinctive style.
In recent years Cope2 has been commissioned by Time Magazine and designed a set of sneakers for Converse and a full collection for Adidas. He has worked with Steiner Sports collaborating with the New York Yankees’ Derek Jeter producing graffiti on memorabilia. His work has even crossed into the virtual realm with appearances in video games such as Mark Eckos: Getting up and Rockstar Games: Grand Theft Auto IV.
Today, you can catch Cope2 in the studio painting, bringing his raw energy into abstract masterpieces, intertwined with his trademark bubble letters and tags on canvases. He has also delved into curating successful group exhibitions. Cope2 crosses between art world, mainstream and street culture alike.