Photo Essay
Graffiti in Marfa
by John Daniel Garcia
Much of the graffiti is influenced by the gang graffiti seen in cities. This photo also shows the
extent of the writings under the bridge, as most of the support columns have been tagged.
M
y fascination with graffiti has been with me
since I was a child. As a precocious 9-year-
old on a family trip to Austin, I remember
being in awe of the murals spotting downtown and
the small tags and stenciled paintings on the under-
passes and bridges of the city. A few years later,
exploring my hometown of Marfa, I came across a
train bridge over a dry creek littered with mostly pro-
fane, often hilarious and, at times, profound spray-
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painted writings.
“There’s graffiti in Marfa?” is the usual response
when I ask someone if they would like to go under
the bridge to look at some, whether they’ve been in
town for five minutes or five years. The work on the
concrete pillars is largely unknown.
Most of the spray-painted collection is peppered
with expletives, pot leaves, thuggish script and crude
depictions of the human anatomy. There are a few
Cenizo
First Quarter 2012
pieces, however, that show some artistic merit and some
that are just plain bizarre. None of the people whose
hands held the spray-paint cans are known to me.
I have made it a point to visit the spot at various
intervals of my life and started documenting the
graffiti over the summer. It’s a highly active area,
with something new popping up with each visit – all
of which leave me with more reasons to make my
way back whenever possible.