National Art Campaign of Compassion

Skid Robot’s roots were already in the graffiti culture when he decided to commence a guerrilla art campaign to fight extreme poverty. In 2013, the artist was at a turning point in his career. “I did not want to do graffiti anymore. I wanted to do something different,” he said. As he drove with his girlfriend their car stopped at a red light. He looked around and noticed a person sleeping on the ground. Then, inspiration struck. He grabbed a can of spray paint and got right to work.  “I apologized for waking her, I wanted to know what her name was but she was mentally ill,” he explained.  He handed the woman money, took a picture of the scene and fled.

Continuing on his journey, Skid Robot turned onto the next corner. There, he noticed a person sleeping in a tent against a grill. “In my mind, in my imagination as an artist, I saw the trees behind the tent. Tents belong to the forest, not the city, so let’s put it in the forest. This is just me acting upon my imagination and ideas,” he said. This car ride gave him a new calling; he was shifting into an artist with strong activist goals. That same night he made two or three other pieces. The campaign was born.

Accustomed to painting colorful graffiti, legal and illegal pieces, Skid Robot remains anonymous primarily for legal reasons. “I can’t say what my name is or where I’m from” because according to his sources, the police has a file on him. “I am a person of interest to whoever documents graffiti in L.A.” The LAPD produces a file on artists and the graffiti control adds information about an artist’s work if they recognize the artist’s signature or style. If a street artist is caught red-handed he is arrested immediately. “It’s not wise of me to come out and be like ‘Yo I’m an artist what’s up,’  because then they will throw me in jail and that’s not cool. I’m not trying to do that.”

Skid Robot’s anonymity is essential to his safety and that of the campaign. He walks on a tightrope between being unknown and growing as a critically acclaimed artist. Social media is the ideal platform for him to be protected by a pseudonym while being able to connect with people and share his message of compassion. Through his use of social media he turns the temporary quality of street art into something everlasting. “When I saw what I was doing and the sentiments I felt and the ambitions I had for my own life, the message had to be shared one way or another. Our society [attaches] itself to Instagram probably more than anything else. People are posting for attention longing. (…)To have someone develop a sense of compassion to me is a victory.” The words that go with his pictures on social media are “words from my heart.”

From photographs to social media, Skid Robot is also set to release a movie on the campaign in order to bring to life moments that are challenging to capture. “They are some genuine wisdom in some people that you would be so surprised [by.] If I can bring that for people to see it’s another artistic venture. It has the purpose to deliver the overall message and the objective of finding a solution to extreme poverty.” The film will have an artistic value, “however I’m not going to ignore the monetary value to making a film,” said Skid Robot. The artist hopes for the film to lead into the development of a TV series. If things are monetized, the money will go towards the project.  Robot aims to aid the homeless on a human level.  “I give back what I can. I go to the 99cent store and buy some random snacks and toiletries. I usually spend around $20, put them all in different bags and drop them off,” he said.

In order to make a change, people need to have a stronger sense of empathy. “The lack of compassion is what allows us to have children and people live on the streets,” he said. The campaign is beginning in L.A as the “blue print for the people to be inspired by throughout the country.” You can join the cause by donating money, giving food, clothing, books, toiletries or even a simple smile. The first step to fulfill Skid Robot’s mission to “ignite a revelation of compassion.”

The post L.A Street artist, Skid Robot, Is On A Mission To Ignite A Revelation Of Compassion appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

National Art Campaign of Compassion

Traveling through the streets of Skidrow an anonymous street artist called Skid Robot uses art to give hope to the hopeless. He has been spray painting around the homeless offering a glimpse of comfort for those in need. The ones who typically ignore the poor are now drawn to the images on the walls forcing them to acknowledge that 610,042 people are reportedly experiencing homelessness on any given night in the United States. According to their website, the guerrilla art campaign aims  to start a “dialogue for a solution to extreme poverty.” Skid Robot tells the story of “desperate dreamers across the U.S. who are experiencing homelessness” through art and film.

#busstopblues #dreamin of a #jaguar…#begrateful#stayhumble #desperatedreamers #slumdogslumber #skidrobot

A photo posted by Skid Robot (@skidrobot) on Oct 10, 2014 at 7:58pm PDT

Ben was released from the #hospital with no #shoes. He was unable to walk as a result of being shot in the back and eventually the hospital booted him on the #street like so many others. I offered him a #meal but he declined, instead he asked for #paper#pencils#pens so that he can #write and #draw. He said he really liked the #art and use to draw himself I had a #sketchbook that was fairly new and a few pens and markers I was able to give him on the spot along with a lil #money so he can eat later…#helpthepoor#feedtheneedy#savehumanity#skidrobot #grimey#dtla#losangeles#streetart

A photo posted by Skid Robot (@skidrobot) on Oct 10, 2014 at 2:14pm PDT

The campaign aims to raise awareness and create a fund to support the homeless. His graffiti pieces are not ornate, they are rapidly painted using a single color focusing on content and meaning rather than aesthetics.

#birdman was saddened that the city had #buffed the #art. We came back to hook him up with some #water #chickfila and some new #decor. #birdman told us the #police asked him if he was the one #painting and if they caught him they’d #arrest him… Yeah right #pigs #fuckthepolice#artisnotacrime#helpthepoor #feedtheneedy #savehumanity A photo posted by Skid Robot (@skidrobot) on Sep 9, 2014 at 11:57am PDT

Robot uses art, activism and social media to make the temporary permanent.Using eye catching hashtags like: “#Fuckthepolice” and “#artisnotacrime,”he grabs the attention of viewers and keeps them in bated breath. Despite his brash methods, he ultimately releases a message of compassion and humanity. According to their Go Fund Me account, a preview of video footage for a documentary they are working on will be available soon.

Join the cause and donate: here

The post When Art is The Solution: A Guerrilla Art Campaign Fights Extreme Poverty appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.