In Pictures: The Late Street Art Star Rammellzee’s Graffiti Paintings and ‘Garbage God’ Suits Go on View at Jeffrey Deitch in L.A.

Get ready for Rammellzee!

Jeffrey Deitch met the late graffiti and street art star way back in 1980, but only picked up his estate last year. “Gothic Futurism” marks the first spectacular outing for his works at Deitch’s L.A. gallery, and it’s worth the look.

In recent years, Rammellzee’s cachet has only been growing. A collaborator (and sometimes critic) of Jean-Michel Basquiat, his work featured in L.A. MOCA’s ultra-popular, landmark “Art in the Streets” show—as well as in the rehang of the Museum of Modern Art’s permanent collection a few years ago.

A highlight of the show are the full-body collage suits that embodied “Garbage Gods,” the alter egos the artist adopted. As the great Greg Tate wrote, “he viewed subway art and hiphop as a total movement representing a multidisciplinary and racialized and working-class military campaign against capitalism, Western Civ 101, and white supremacy”—and “continued the war of hiphop generated symbol versus Western language symbol though performance in his technologically enhanced battle suits.”

See photos from “Gothic Futurism” below.

Installation view, “Rammellzee: Gothic Futurism” at Jeffrey Deitch. Photo: Joshua White.

Installation view, “Rammellzee: Gothic Futurism” at Jeffrey Deitch. Photo: Joshua White.

Installation view, “Rammellzee: Gothic Futurism” at Jeffrey Deitch. Photo: Joshua White.

Installation view, “Rammellzee: Gothic Futurism” at Jeffrey Deitch. Photo: Joshua White.

Installation view, “Rammellzee: Gothic Futurism” at Jeffrey Deitch. Photo: Joshua White.

Installation view, “Rammellzee: Gothic Futurism” at Jeffrey Deitch. Photo: Joshua White.

Installation view, “Rammellzee: Gothic Futurism” at Jeffrey Deitch. Photo: Joshua White.

“Rammellzee: Gothic Futurism” is on view at Jeffrey Deitch, 925 N. Orange Drive, Los Angeles, through January 14, 2023.