Lady Pink facts for kids

Lady Pink, whose real name is Sandra Fabara, is a famous artist. She was born in Ecuador in 1964. She is known for her amazing graffiti and mural art. Lady Pink creates her art mainly in New York City.

Early Life

Sandra Fabara was born in Ambato, Ecuador, in 1964. When she was seven, her family moved to Astoria, Queens, New York. Growing up, she dreamed of becoming an architect, just like her dad.

She started her graffiti art journey in 1979. This was after a difficult time in her life. She found a way to express her feelings by writing her friend's name around New York City. Lady Pink went to the Manhattan High School of Art and Design. There, she learned more about graffiti. While still in high school, she began showing her artwork.

How Lady Pink Got Her Name

The artist Seen TC5 first gave her the name "Pink." She liked the name because it sounded feminine. She wanted other graffiti artists to know she was a girl. Lady Pink also liked how the letters looked. She thought the "L" was cool and the "I" could be dotted with a heart.

She started calling herself Lady Pink because she loved old romance stories. She also liked England, the Victorian period, and royal families. She gave herself a royal-sounding title. She never wanted to use her full name for tagging. This was to avoid being confused with another person known as "Pink Lady."

Art Career

Starting Out as an Artist

Lady Pink's art career really took off after the 1980s. This was after a show called Graffiti Art Success for America. This show invited graffiti artists to paint on gallery walls. In 1983, she starred in the movie Wild Style. She was also part of a famous book called Subway Art. This book was created by Martha Cooper and Henry Chalfant.

During this time, she worked with Jenny Holzer for an art show. Her first solo art show was called "Femmes-Fatales." It happened in 1984 when she was 21 years old. The show was at the Moore College of Art & Design in Philadelphia.

Lady Pink has always used graffiti and murals to show her feelings. She also uses her art to empower women. She once said, "It's not just a boys club. We have a sisterhood thing going." People called her the "first lady of graffiti." This is because she was one of the first women to be active in New York City subway graffiti in the early 1980s.

In 1980, she started an all-female graffiti group called Ladies of the Arts. A few years later, Lady Pink joined two other graffiti groups. These were TC5 (The Cool 5) and TPA (The Public Animals). From 1979 to 1985, Lady Pink painted New York City Subway trains. She took a short break from painting outdoors in 1987. Then, from 1993 to 1997, she painted freight trains with her husband, SMITH.

In 1980, her work was shown in the important New York show "GAS: Graffiti Art Success." This show was at Fashion Moda. It later moved to The New Museum of Contemporary Art.

Later Art Projects

Lady Pink's studio paintings often show New York City Subway trains. They also feature POP-surrealist cityscapes. Some of her artworks are in famous museums. These include the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Her art is also in the Brooklyn Museum in New York City. You can also find her work in the Groningen Museum in the Netherlands.

Lady Pink now visits schools to teach students. She shares how art can be a powerful way to express yourself. She also shows how art can help connect communities. Every year, she works on a mural project with students. These students are from the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts in Astoria, Queens.

Her mural, Pink (2007), was one of many artworks destroyed at 5Pointz in Queens. However, in February 2018, a court decided that the 45 artists whose work was destroyed should be paid. Lady Pink felt a strong connection to her art. Even though the building owner painted over the walls, she said she could still see the "ghost" of her mural.

Famous Artworks

Paintings

• The Death of Graffiti (1982) - This painting is made with acrylic on canvas. It is in the Museum of the City of New York collection.
• The Black Dude (1983) - This artwork uses spray enamel on canvas. It is in a private collection.
• China, One Child Only (1992) - Made with spray enamel on canvas. It is in a private collection.
• Brick Lady in Spray (1993) - This piece uses spray enamel on canvas. It is in a private collection.
• Queen Matilda (2007) - An acrylic painting on canvas. It is in a private collection.
• Urban Decay (2008) - This acrylic painting on canvas is in a private collection.

Murals

• Brick Woman - This mural is located in Braddock, Pennsylvania.
• 9/11 Tribute (2001) - Lady Pink painted this one month after September 11. It honors the heroes involved. It is located in Queens, New York.
• Pink (2007) - This mural was at 5Pointz, but it no longer exists.
• Lady Liberty (2016) - This mural can be found in Queens, New York.

Train Art

• John Lennon (1981) - This was the first half of a Subway train painted by Lady Pink and Iz the Wiz. It was a tribute to John Lennon.
• The Beatles (1981) - This was the second half of the same Subway train. Lady Pink and Iz the Wiz painted it to honor The Beatles.
• Welcome to Heaven (1982) - This was a tribute to Caine 1. Caine 1 was a graffiti artist who passed away.

Personal Life

Lady Pink is married to another graffiti artist named SMITH. His real name is Roger Smith. He was part of the graffiti duo Sane Smith. Lady Pink and SMITH often work together on murals and other art projects.

See also

In Spanish: Lady Pink para niños