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Last edited by Wikociewie (talk | contribs) 18 days ago. (Update) |
President Boris | |
|---|---|
 Good Guy Boris gesticulating in front of a train adorned with Utah & Ether tags | |
| Known for | Graffiti journalism |
| Style | Satirical graffiti |
| Movement | Graffiti |
| Website | thegrifters |
Good Guy Boris, alternatively President Boris or simply Boris, is a Bulgarian graffiti artist, journalist and social media influencer, who gained prominence within the graffiti subculture through his deliberate lack of anonymity.
Biography edit
Early career edit
Good Guy Boris began painting graffiti as a 12-year-old when he first sprayed the name of a local football club surrounded by phallic symbols on a wall in his native city of Sofia. By the age of 14 he had left his parental home in order to pursue a career documenting the local graffiti scene. He produced his own magazine, before gaining a job at an advertising company, allowing him to acquire skills that would enable his future career. After being made redundant Good Guy Boris founded his own website The Grifters Journal.[1] The journal aimed to document graffiti in an alternative way, showcasing the lifestyle behind the culture.[2]
Imprisonment edit
After moving to Paris, France Good Guy Boris was arrested by a police anti-graffiti unit in May 2014. He was then held on remand in Fleury-Mérogis Prison for four months.[1] On regaining his freedom, Good Guy Boris released a video on YouTube in which he lampooned his imprisonment;
A couple of months ago, a group of delegates was sent to my house, with the great news that I have been nominated for Great Success in the field of culture and 'art contemporain'. I have to tell that the traditions of receiving gifts and presents in my country are totally different from the ones in France.[3]
Greece edit
In 2018 Good Guy Boris featured in and helped produce the Graffiti Olympics video with the graffiti crew 1UP. The video, filmed in Athens, parodied the Winter Olympics which were taking place at the time.[4]
Reception edit
Good Guy Boris has received both criticism and praise from within the graffiti community in response to his public persona and monetization of graffiti. His practice and techniques of train graffiti documentation, and use of motifs such as a bicephalous eagle as branding for The Grifters Journal, have been described as having roots going back to Soviet agit-trains.[5]
Select publications edit
- Good Guy Boris (2017). Grifters Code: Documenting Modern Graffiti Writing. The Grifters. ISBN 978-619-7267-02-0.
- Good Guy Boris (2019). Truck Graffich: Graffiti on Parisian Trucks. The Grifters. ISBN 978-619-7267-05-1.
- Good Guy Boris (2023). LeoLulu x Good Guy Boris: An Intimate Journey Behind the Scenes of Adult Content Creation. The Grifters. ISBN 978-619-7267-07-5.
References edit
- ^ a b Traynor, Cian (7 June 2017). "Shining a Light on Graffiti's Rebel Underground". huckmag.com. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
- ^ "Grifters Interview". Concrete: East Europe Graffiti Magazine (in English/Polish) (9): 97. December 2012. ISSN 1895-1481.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link) - ^ Bouziane, Amine (October 6, 2014). "Good Guy Boris returns from holidays" (video). youtube.com. The Grifters.
- ^ Damsch, Nina; Bakunin, Georg (12 March 2018). "Europe's Gnarliest Graffiti Crew Basically Shot an Action Film". vice.com. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
- ^ MacDowall, Lachlan (2018). Reed, Martyn (ed.). "From Peterhof Station to Crescenzago: Agit-Trains and Grifter's Code" (PDF). Nuart Journal. 1 (1). Stavanger, Norway: 39–42. ISSN 2535-549X. OCLC 1402370638. Retrieved 5 May 2024.