RISK (Kelly Graval) moved to Los Angeles at the age of 16 and made University High School his personal canvas, tagging his name everywhere during the day and returning at night to work on larger pieces. He was one of seven high school students who received a scholarship to attend the Pasadena Art Institute and would later go on to study fine art at the University of Southern California. In 1985, RISK was painting in mid-city when RIVAL approached him and asked if he wanted to start a crew, which became known as West Coast Artists (WCA). By the late 1980s he found himself being asked to collaborate on Hollywood projects, with his first being a photo shoot for Hot Rod Magazine. He continued to work on movie and music video sets, including the film Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure and videos for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Ice Cube and Michael Jackson. In 1999, RISK and SLICK were invited to the United Kingdom to represent the United States at the Bridlington International Street Art Competition, for which they took home the silver cup. When RISK started putting his graffiti on canvases he created Third Rail, a series of gallery shows that he eventually turned into a successful clothing brand.
Past Exhibitions
