Born John Matos in 1961, CRASH was raised in the Bronx, New York. At the age of 13 he began following the older teens from his neighborhood to the train yards and, shortly thereafter, he began bombing. Matos took the name, “CRASH” after he accidentally crashed the computer in his school and it wasn’t long before that name began appearing on trains running throughout New York City. In 1989 CRASH began transitioning from train yards to galleries and, as a result, he curated the ground-breaking exhibition, “Graffiti Art Success for America” at Fashion MODA which launched the graffiti movement that has remained active through today. As CRASH’s career took off, he was immediately popular in the United States and in Europe. Asia was soon to follow. CRASH’s artwork has been exhibited and collected by numerous galleries and museums around the world. His iconic imagery has also inspired a number of corporate partnerships with companies including Absolut Vodka, Fender Guitars, SoBella Handbags, Levi’s, Tumi and Morphik. CRASH is the co-owner of WALLWORKS NEW YORK, a contemporary art gallery based in the Bronx and Wallworks TWO, a locally driven retail boutique.
