One Art Space Honors Street Art Royalty with Al Diaz’s ‘An Empire Fallen’

A landmark exhibition from the graffiti pioneer who helped shape New York’s underground art revolution at One Art Space

NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES, October 28, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- This fall, One Art Space in Tribeca will present An Empire Fallen, a solo exhibition by acclaimed New York artist Al Diaz emerged as a first-generation subway graffiti artist under the moniker “BOMB-ONE” by age 15. He is widely recognized for his early collaboration with Jean-Michel Basquiat on the iconic SAMO© graffiti project, a cornerstone of NYC’s late 1970s avant-garde art movement. Samo “moniker” was revolutionary in its concept and widely accepted as one of the most influential forms of street art/poetry.

Running from Thursday, October 30th through Monday, November 10th, 2025, the show explores the collapse and reinvention of cultural empires, from the street to the institution, through Diaz’s signature fusion of text, symbol, and socio-political commentary. The artist’s raw visual language captures the restless pulse of New York itself: poetic, disillusioned, and defiantly alive.

There will be an opening VIP reception to launch the exhibition and on Thursday, November 6th 2025 a talk with the Artist at the Gallery from 6:00pm – 8:00pm.

“Al Diaz represents the heartbeat of New York’s art underground, rebellious, poetic, and historically resonant,” says MaryAnn Giella McCulloh, co-owner of One Art Space. “He embodies what One Art Space stands for, artists whose work tells the story of this city and its uncompromising creative spirit.”

Founded in 2011 by the late Dan Giella, One Art Space has become a downtown powerhouse bridging the worlds of high art and street culture. Now under the direction of MaryAnn Giella McCulloh and Mei Fung, the gallery continues to champion artists who challenge convention and ignite conversation.

Known for its 1,700-square-foot glass-fronted space in the heart of Tribeca, One Art Space has presented exhibitions featuring icons like Shepard Fairey, Danny Cortes, Cope2, and Purvis Young blending prestige with accessibility.

“Art should be felt, not just seen,” says McCulloh. “When we choose artists like Al Diaz, we look for mystery, controversy, and human truth. These stories that compel us to look again and think deeper.”

ABOUT Al Diaz:
A fixture of the downtown art scene, Al Diaz (b. New York) began writing graffiti at age 12 and rose to prominence through SAMO©, the cryptic street-poetry collaboration with Jean-Michel Basquiat. His work has evolved into a multi-layered examination of power, consumerism, and cultural erosion, echoing the fall and rise of urban empires. Diaz’s art remains a powerful reminder that language and rebellion can be as enduring as paint on a wall.

For more information about the artist, please visit: www.al-diaz.com

ABOUT One Art Space:
One Art Space opened in May 2011 in the heart of Tribeca and has been a distinctive venue for both museum-caliber and emerging artists for 15 years. Located at 23 Warren Street in Tribeca, New York City the gallery occupies a versatile ground-level space with a glass façade, offering natural light and an inviting view from the street. The gallery’s programming mixes storied figures in New York's art scene like Al Diaz, world-famous street artists like Shepard Fairey, abstract contemporary painters like Andrew Salgado, and an upcoming solo exhibition of work by Purvis Young, whose paintings are held in institutions like The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Smithsonian American Art Museum, as well as in the collections of some of the highest-end buyers in the art market. One Art Space’s mission is to create a place where the giants of art history and the visionaries of art’s future come together in one space.

For more information, please visit: www.oneartspace.com
IG: @oneartspace | F: OneArtSpaceNYC | X/T: @oneartspace

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