Tox graffiti - artist or just persistant?
Wherever you are on the underground you are bound to see ‘Tox’ spraypainted everywhere. I first noticed Tox years ago in Leicester (I think) and I have always thought that he is not much an artist, he just seems to get his name everywhere. I found this video on YouTube about the whole situation, very interesting - particularly about Tox being able to gain access to some crazy places:
If this guy was an artist then fair enough, but as far as I am concerned he is just someone who has put his name across the whole of the UK. If his bigger stuff (see below) was more artistic then I would have more time for him.
This is found in Nottingham and in my opinion is of far greater artistic merit, but how long it took is anyone’s guess…
A couple of people have left comments (below) about my blog post (thanks guys) and would just like to say a couple of things:
- Tox is not very good at art;
- The guy gets my respect for getting into to crazy places and getting his name everywhere rather than for his rubbish throw ups.
The thing I don’t really understand is that the Tox tag looks very much like he could do good work, perhaps (as suggested in the comment below) he is simply doing something quick? If Tox could do what this guy below does (artistically I mean) and get the volume he currently does, I would write kinder things!
repine magazine said
am October 19 2008 @ 4:36 pm
Fair point but you need to learn more about graffiti before you can call a pretty decent throw-up ‘awful bubble writing’
east graffer said
am October 25 2008 @ 5:21 pm
tox is a london legend if he wanted to i bet he could rock some good styles but is not bout quality its quantity when getting yr name up his done alot 4 the scene and is known by the public just as much as the police and the taggers 01 to 08 and beyond
highbury boy said
am November 1 2008 @ 12:22 pm
why r u callin tox swag he is one of the most famous writers in the uk u try a hand style then!
learn to respect writers a bit more before you slag them off
Alan said
am November 8 2008 @ 6:20 pm
The toxic tag was not that good but yes the other one was pretty good and I give the guy props
ashley said
am November 12 2008 @ 2:14 pm
tox tag ain’t up in leek street or the legal wall in southbank,
but i give it to tox for the bear amount of tag’s in my borough
soho pfn
calviin said
am November 20 2008 @ 3:03 pm
tox iz madd..big boi graffer hes nearly as gd as mee..
EVOK said
am November 30 2008 @ 7:26 pm
how can you say tox isnt a good artist i think you should learn what it takes to be a good artist and stop dissing them down!
craigb said
am March 25 2009 @ 8:10 pm
boy jus seen a TOX08 freight train at didcot power station
Alex said
am March 29 2009 @ 6:46 pm
Spotted TOX09 in London last week! If anyone out there knows how Tox can be contacted (email etc) I would be really grateful if they could get in touch.
Topics about Street-art » Archive » Simon Langley 2.0 » Tox graffiti - artist or just persistant? said
am May 4 2009 @ 12:31 pm
[…] Simon Langley created an interesting post today on Simon Langley 2.0 » Tox graffiti - artist or just persistant?Here’s a short outlineTox is not very good at art; - The guy gets my respect for getting into to crazy places and getting his name everywhere rather than for his rubbish throw ups. The thing I don’t really understand is that the Tox tag looks very much like … […]
ian fiinis said
am May 20 2009 @ 6:35 pm
Tox’s style of lettering is PURPOSLY very simple and bold. He has taken other more traditional, visual and varied “artistic” ways of tagging into account (note around 03 he fazed through a wild style). But by using this simple style, looks beyond tradition, pushing forward an anti art style. This is a way of commenting on what his art means, pushing the thought of his motivation away from the visual in order to bring emphasis towards other aspects of his art. For example encouraging other thoughts such as the fact that he is up everywhere, or making you think about how he has gained access to all these places (that is a political statement in itself). Of course these can all just as easily be SUBCONCIOUS reactions to how he feels about his surrounding culture and law. Self expression can come through in creativity without even realising at the time and reflect wider context.
To my knowledge he one of the quirkiest artists around.
ian fiinis said
am May 20 2009 @ 6:43 pm
message to tox haters.
unless you directly understand other cultures, then dont judge them by the standerds of your own. People hold too much confidence in opinions they hold towards stuff that they feel they dont need to understand. There is nothing wrong with ignorance, but when mixed with thoughts on what u only think you know anything about, thats called being narrow minded.
love love love
Caetano said
am June 2 2009 @ 2:38 pm
He maybe is non a artist, but with his simple tag style he achived that everyone knows him, and people how like u with this kind of topics makes he famous, you are part of his game!.
Graffiti vandal for life!
Real Sick Kids ! RSK CREW !
ian finnis said
am June 10 2009 @ 6:42 pm
we are a part of each others game.
anton jellyfish said
am August 21 2009 @ 10:11 pm
totally agree with what ian fiinis has said, the fact tox paints, lets say paintings that lack imagination, is almost genious, most graffiti writers paint to try or wish to have the best, most complexed-thought out style, but tox does the exact opposite, makes you think and consider things other than the can control and paintjob etc which surely is what art aims to do. maybe he paints with this intention or wether he does it simply to fuck things up, regardless he’s got the nation talking, discussing, and thinking about him.
job well done i say
ajs said
am September 5 2009 @ 1:24 am
Why does it have to be art? it’s not a painting, it’s a tag.
madmark said
am October 16 2009 @ 7:49 am
iv meet tox and yer he aint very good but dats not wot hes trying to do he dont want to b an artist hes making a statment fuk the system fuk btp fuk the goverment he just wonts to get well known and cost da goverment bare money and if you think bout it he has done all of dat he a ders 2 types of graffit graffiti artist and graffiti vandals and tox is a vandal 3 bose 3 flaver 3 cyda fuk btp
madmark said
am October 16 2009 @ 7:54 am
i know exactly how tox gets in to the places he does hes crawled throw tunnels the size of a weel on your car hes been places dat btp cant get into hes been places dat no1 will ever c every agen but i have !!!1
UNKNOWN said
am December 18 2009 @ 9:20 pm
BRUVV ALL YOU GASSING ON ABOUT TOX YH
BUT NONE OF YOU MAN KNOW HIM
I’VE BEEN TALKING TO HIM LATELY
AN HE SAID THE WAY TO GET UP IS SIMPLE HIT PLACES LIKE TRAINS BUSSES TRAMS ALL TRANSPORT UNDERGROUND
BREAK ENTRY TO THINGS IF YOU HAVE TO
THE MAIN THING HE SAID TO ME WAS
GET UP AND GET OUT
WALTER ASHTON said
am January 7 2010 @ 2:26 pm
up until last week i was sick to death of tox i was vexed at the fame he got despite the fact he only tags basic letters this was until i actually got to london and saw the damage in person the man is a machine and a maniac and the fact i saw tubes running with his tags from 06 was impressive thats four years! big up tox and the 10foot crew….props
Philth said
am January 22 2010 @ 12:38 am
TOX is a good graffiti writer. he is up and thats the point.
most of the pretty pictures are legal spots, more time to make them pretty, but tox dont give a fuck about that why would he he don’t need to paint pretty pictures to be a graffiti writer.
I do find it very impressive when i see real tight illigal work tho.
respect Tox
DISE said
am February 16 2010 @ 9:12 pm
if tox didnt cum to hemel hempstead i woodnt of started graffing
thanks to toxx
cum back to hemel man
tacgnol said
am March 17 2010 @ 12:22 am
I think people are far too obsessed with the concept of art. Basically his goal is to be up everywhere, seen everywhere. He’s doing pretty well at it. Sometimes it makes you think “how the hell did he get there?!” which I like. Debating if you can call it art or not is missing the point I think.
reakt said
am May 8 2010 @ 1:26 pm
The Nottingham piece you showed is painted by DEK from London. I’ve watched him paint a number of times. You can find his website here - iamdek.co.uk
jason mad said
am May 13 2010 @ 9:20 pm
The guy is really mad! MEGA RESPECT!!!!! Writer of the decade.
This blog sux btw.