"R.I.P: Evol & Afroe"
Graffiti artists tagging tributes all over town
flickr user: obakadan
Fans of two graffiti artists' work have returned to the locales to offer condolences and pay tribute, adding "RIP" and "Chicago Misses You."
Tributes to two members of Chicago's graphic arts community have popped up in the tangible and virtual worlds for two "fallen soldiers."
When Andrew Cazares and Fausto Manzera died in an early-morning wreck on the Dan Ryan Expressway April 10, they were pulled along the side of the road. Published reports say the pair may have been dealing with a flat tire.
Cazares and Fausto were apparently well-known graffiti artists. The Chicago Tribune reported over the weekend that Cazares was an artist who carried a notepad and pen with him for drawing, and sometimes went by the nickname "Evol," which is "love" backward. Manzera, a DePaul University marketing student, was known in the community as "Afroe" or "Afroe 42."
And man, were they busy over the years.
Flickr photo streams include dozens of images of the graffiti artists' work. Fans, it seems, have returned to the locales of their work to offer condolences and pay tribute, adding "RIP" and "Chicago Misses You."
The online memorials also pay tribute to Nazon "Kep" Simmons, another artist who, according to a forum posting on ChicagoGraffit.com, died the morning of April 11. The circumstances of Simmons' death are not immediately known.
Posted Tuesday, Jul 14, 2009 - 5:50 AM CST
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