LONG ISLAND CITY — The writing's on the wall — and Queens Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. does not approve.
Vallone's campaign against the glorification of graffiti has a new target — an ex-subway vandal who began tagging walls as "KR.ONE" while he was a fifth-grader at P.S. 166 in Long Island City. Louie "KR.ONE" Gasparro's graffiti-inspired art is slated to be on display at a March 10 show, "Bringer of the Kolorstorm," a one-night exhibit at the Cause Art Will Survive gallery at 28-17 38th Ave.
"It's glorifying crime," said Vallone, who led a similar charge last year against a planned graffiti exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum. "And if one impressionable youth gets arrested because of this guy, well, that will be something he will have to live with."
Gasparro, a graphic artist who is 46 now and says he gave up graffiti in 1983, said he agrees with Vallone that vandalism is a no-no. But he said he doesn't accept Vallone's argument that children exposed to graffiti art may become vandals.
"That's like saying, 'If you watch Freddy Kruger, you're going to kill a family,'" Gasparro said.
Gasparro, who was born in Manhattan but grew up in Astoria, defended his work as an "emotional release" through a form of art whose roots can be traced all the way back to when cavemen wrote on walls.
"It's just a swirl of movement and energy," he said from his home in Williston Park, Long Island, where his graffiti-influenced pieces line the walls. "I like the way it looks and it makes me feel good."
Vallone has often argued that graffiti affects the quality of life in a community. He said he would not "waste time" with a formal protest of Gasparro's exhibit since he did not expect a large turnout.
"I'm pretty sure Queens homeowners and business owners would not be flocking," Vallone told DNAinfo.
The eventually called off last year's show, citing financial constraints. Its decision to cancel the exhibit came after Vallone sent a letter to the museum director asking him to pull the plug. “Let me be very clear, taxpayer money should NOT be used to encourage the destruction of our taxpayers’ property,” Vallone wrote in May.
Gasparro said he began creating graffiti in 1977. He first tagged the schoolyard wall of P.S. 166 before moving onto buses on 36th Avenue and the R, L, M and J trains.
He said he was drawn to graffiti as a student because it represented the "enigmatic bending of what was once known as your ABC's." He developed his signature tag, "KR.ONE," to stress that he is the No. 1 "Krazy Riter."
While law enforcement officials often views graffiti as a gateway crime that can lead to more serious offenses, including drug use and dealing, Gasparro said he never went that route. He said graffiti helped him develop skills that led to his current job as a graphic artist at the Queens Public Television studio in Flushing.
Some of Gasparro's art features green aliens, with only a scrawled word to hint at his graffiti influences. Other pieces are clearly graffiti driven, including portrayals of what appear to be teenage punks admiring walls they tagged.
Still, Gasparro said he agrees with Vallone that vandals should not illegally tag walls in the name of art. He said artists should unleash their talents at legal outlets, such as the 5Pointz exhibit space in Long Island City, a privately owned "aerosol art center" where graffiti is encouraged.
The owner of Cause Art Will Survive gallery could not be immediately reached for comment.
"I'm not condoning anyone going to [illegally] write their names on a wall," Gasparro said.
