Bischof's latest exhibit, "Before the Buff," showcases his own works -- stenciling being his specialty -- as well as the works of fellow stencilers Rick Jaremback and the four-man team of Gorilla Tactics, muralists Dekal and Legend, graffiti expressionists Oscar Moreno and Jimmy Krimmer, digital and 3-D works by Steve Joseph and Brian Sensebe, and the pen-and-ink stylings of Eric Favitta.
Of course, you can also see the work of Bischof and friends tagged and stenciled across alleys, benches, and garbage cans in downtown Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, and West Palm Beach. That is, if they haven't been painted over already. Bischof has unofficially "retired" from stenciling, but still does impromptu "bombings," or small, quick stencils, when he can.
Graffiti artists and stencilers have had to become even stealthier as, in the last few months, the fuzz has come down especially hard on these public artists for creating their own urban anti-war exhibits. "I feel like we're living out Orwell's 1984," Bischof says of the heightened surveillance. "I mean, America is a democracy. Democracies vote. Why is it suddenly illegal to support peace and express yourself? I didn't vote for our country to go to war. Stencils originally started out as a form of protest, and that's what they should be. Since this war started, I've seen Bush and antiwar stencils everywhere, and there are more to come. Keep an eye out."
