Local Reno Artists BAZAR 1 and Mire

Painting the Town

There’s a battle taking place right now in a parking lot, and unlike most parking lot scuffles, the only weapon is a can of spray paint. It’s the most colorful battle you’ll ever see – and possibly the friendliest. The canvas for the competition is the outside wall in the back of the Studio on 4th, a previously blank slate that is rapidly turning into a colorful masterpiece. This is a friendly fight and a proactive artistic statement that invites the city to redefine the beauty in graffiti.

One man’s mural is another man’s act of vandalism. Graffiti is certainly the most controversial style of painting, and because of subject matter, style, and possible illegality, it has historically been reviled by society for its bright, blatant, in-your-face message. For this reason, the two artists engaged in battle wish to be known only by their graffiti monikers: Bazar 1 and Mire. Their faces are covered with bandanas while they balance on ladders with cans of paint in both hands. Their friends stand against the back wall and watch them work. Hypnotic breakbeats thump from a tiny stereo under one of the ladders, and the parking lot has become a stage for well-choreographed performance art. It is nothing short of transfixing.

Graffiti art is commonplace in cities like San Francisco and New York, and Bazar 1 notes that shopkeepers in these cities are known to invite graffiti artists to add color to their storefront. In Reno, he says, people only want you to paint their logos. The idea of an outspoken mural is out of the question, which is a shame – against the backdrop of casino lights and chain link fences, graffiti art can be downright beautiful. The piece that Bazar 1 and Mire are creating has this gait-halting effect – in the center there is a gigantic skull whose mouth resembles the opening of a carnival haunted house ride. The contrast of black, white, and red spray-strokes makes the piece seem to jump out from the wall.

Since graffiti culture has been largely isolated from the art world, artists stage “battles” where two artists paint a wall, and judges decide who is the victor. Graffiti is a fiercely competitive world, but in this case, this is friendly competition with the aim to expose the beauty of street art to Reno.

“We got no beef,” says Mire. “We call it a battle, but we’re doing it for the greater cause for Reno.”

The title of the piece is “Big Trouble in Little Reno,” an allusion to the 1980’s movie “Big Trouble in Little China.”  When the piece is finished, the artists are inviting the people of Reno to judge who is the winner.

“We’re going to put it on the city [to judge],” laughs Bazar 1. “We’re leaving it up to the people.”  On what basis does the public judge the battle? “Technical skill, style, originality and overall expression,” he responds.

To view “Big Trouble in Little Reno,” come down to the Studio on 4th and vote for the best artist.

Text by Nicole Seaton
Photos by David Robert

RP Tip: Studio on 4th is located at 432 E 4th St in Reno.