Who Is TOXIC? From Bronx Graffiti Writer to Contemporary Artist
Cover photo © Courtesy of Woodbury House
The Life, Painting and New York Graffiti History of Torrick “TOXIC” Ablack
If you’ve recently discovered TOXIC, you’re not alone. For more than forty years, TOXIC has built a career that spans graffiti, painting and contemporary art. Writers have long recognised his name from New York’s subway era, while more recent exhibitions have introduced his paintings to collectors and museum audiences around the world.
Yet despite his long career, relatively little has been written about the artist himself. Many people know the name. Fewer know the story.
Who is TOXIC? How did a teenager growing up in the Bronx become part of one of the most important creative periods in New York history? How did graffiti evolve into an abstract painting practice? And what was it like to work alongside figures such as A-One, Rammellzee, Futura, Dondi and Bear during graffiti’s formative years?
In this guide, we’ll explore the life and work of Torrick “TOXIC” Ablack, tracing his journey from the streets of the Bronx to galleries and museums while drawing on insights from our recent interview with the artist himself.
Who Is TOXIC?
TOXIC is the artist’s name of Torrick Ablack, a New York-born painter and graffiti writer who began writing as a teenager during the late 1970s. Growing up in the Bronx, he experienced the emergence of graffiti at the same time that hip hop culture was beginning to take shape. Subway trains carried names across the city, neighbourhoods developed their own writing communities, and young artists constantly pushed one another to create more ambitious work.
Like many writers of his generation, TOXIC first became known through graffiti. Unlike many of his contemporaries, however, he continued to develop as an artist long after the subway era had ended. Today his work exists comfortably across several worlds.
He remains respected within graffiti culture while also exhibiting paintings internationally, with works held in public and private collections, including the Brooklyn Museum. Rather than treating graffiti and painting as opposing disciplines, TOXIC has spent more than four decades developing a studio practice informed by the energy, movement and experimentation of his early years as a writer.
Growing Up in the Bronx During Graffiti’s Formative Years
To understand TOXIC’s work, it’s important to understand the environment in which he grew up. The Bronx of the 1970s wasn’t simply where graffiti happened. It was where multiple cultural movements were developing simultaneously. Music poured from apartment windows, neighbourhood parks hosted DJ parties, and subway trains became moving galleries for a new generation of writers.
In our recent interview, TOXIC recalls growing up surrounded by music from every direction. His mother played Caribbean music from the islands. His older sister introduced him to Motown, soul and live performances at the Apollo Theater. His older brother drew constantly and introduced him to the paints used to decorate gang jackets long before TOXIC became interested in graffiti itself.
Rather than arriving through a single moment of inspiration, graffiti gradually became part of a much wider creative environment. As he recalls:
“Every day it was everywhere… when I started paying attention to graffiti, it just opened a whole new bag of tricks.”
That environment shaped more than his writing. It taught him to observe, to draw, and to understand the city as a constantly changing visual landscape.
Learning the Culture
Like many young writers, TOXIC didn’t immediately become part of the graffiti scene. He had to earn his place. In the interview, he describes how respect wasn’t given automatically. It was built through persistence, relationships and continual improvement.
Once he became immersed in bombing and writing, graffiti quickly became an obsession. Days revolved around travelling across New York, meeting other writers, searching for paint and exploring neighbourhoods connected by the subway system. Looking back, he describes those years less as acts of rebellion than constant exploration.
Every journey opened another part of the city. Every neighbourhood introduced new writers. Every wall became another opportunity to learn.
The famous bench on 149th Street became one of those meeting places where writers planned, exchanged stories and crossed paths with artists from across New York. It was through these networks that friendships, rivalries and creative communities developed.
Learning From Other Writers
One of the recurring themes throughout TOXIC’s interview is the importance of mentorship. Although graffiti is often presented as fiercely competitive, he speaks just as often about learning from older writers as he does about painting itself. Among the writers and artists he remembers encountering, painting alongside, learning from or building friendships with were:
- A-One
- Bear 167
- Kel 139
- Zephyr
- Dondi
- Futura
- Knock
- Pho
Rather than simply admiring their work from a distance, TOXIC describes watching them paint, asking questions and gradually earning their respect. One story perfectly captures that process.
While painting beside Bear, TOXIC remembers having an entire section of his work painted over with a single white line. Bear looked at him and simply said:
“Start all over again.”
Instead of arguing, TOXIC started again. Looking back, he laughs about the experience.
“I got better real quick.”
Stories like these reveal a side of graffiti history that is often overlooked. Behind the finished murals and legendary subway pieces were constant conversations, criticism, encouragement and shared learning between generations of writers.
Meeting Rammellzee
Among the most significant relationships in TOXIC’s early career was his connection with Rammellzee. The two were introduced through A-One, who encouraged TOXIC to meet an artist he believed shared his curiosity about ideas as much as painting. Their early conversations extended far beyond graffiti. TOXIC recalls discussing mathematics, science, philosophy and art while studying Rammellzee’s drawings and paintings. Those conversations eventually led to TOXIC becoming part of Tag Master Killers (TMK), the collective founded by Rammellzee that brought together writers interested in pushing graffiti into new conceptual territory.
One of TOXIC’s most vivid memories concerns the creation of what would later become Rammellzee’s legendary Battle Station. When Rammellzee moved into the space, TOXIC moved into Rammellzee’s former apartment. He also helped clear the Battle Station during its earliest days, walking Canal Street with Rammellzee to collect discarded materials, carrying them back to the building and watching the space gradually evolve into the environment that became known as the Battle Station.
Rather than learning about the Battle Station through photographs or exhibitions decades later, TOXIC witnessed parts of its construction first-hand. Those experiences remain some of his strongest memories of New York’s downtown art scene.
👉 Read more in our guide: TOXIC & Rammellzee: Friendship, Collaboration & Creative Influence (coming soon).
👉 If you’re new to Rammellzee, start with Who Was Rammellzee? The Artist, Graffiti Writer, Musician & Visionary Explained, where we explore his life, theories and lasting influence on graffiti, contemporary art and hip hop.
From Graffiti Writer to Contemporary Painter
Although TOXIC first became known through graffiti, his career didn’t end when the subway era did. Instead, it evolved. Over the following decades, painting became his primary focus.
His work gradually moved away from traditional graffiti formats while retaining many of the qualities that first attracted him to writing:
- movement
- rhythm
- colour
- layering
- abstraction
- gesture
Importantly, TOXIC has spoken about the distinction between graffiti and painting. Rather than simply transferring graffiti onto canvas, he developed an independent painting practice informed by the experiences and visual language of his early years as a writer.
That distinction remains central to understanding his work today. His paintings aren’t attempts to recreate subway graffiti. They’re the result of decades spent exploring what painting itself can become.
👉 Explore this further in our guide: The Art of TOXIC: Understanding His Paintings & Visual Language (coming soon).
Why TOXIC Matters Today
One of the reasons TOXIC remains such an important figure today is that he occupies a unique position within graffiti history. He is both an active contemporary artist and a firsthand witness to one of the most influential creative movements of the late twentieth century. Through exhibitions, interviews, collaborations and public conversations, he continues to share memories of the writers, artists and neighbourhoods that shaped New York graffiti from the inside.
At the same time, his own painting practice continues to evolve. Rather than looking backwards, TOXIC continues to experiment with abstraction, colour and composition while remaining connected to the experiences that first inspired him as a teenager in the Bronx.
As museums, collectors and historians continue to revisit the origins of graffiti, voices like TOXIC’s have become increasingly valuable—not simply because of the work he has produced, but because he was there. He remembers the people. He remembers the places. And he remembers the conversations that helped shape one of the most important cultural movements of the twentieth century.
Continuing the Story: TOXIC x The Rammellzee — Geo Metrodome
More than forty years after first meeting Rammellzee, TOXIC continues to engage with the ideas, friendships and creative history that shaped his career. That history forms the foundation of TOXIC x The Rammellzee: Geo Metrodome, a collaboration created by 12on12 in partnership with The Rammellzee Estate. Rather than reproducing an historic work, the edition brings together two artists whose lives intersected during one of the most important periods in New York’s creative history.
The project is built around Geo Metrodome, one of Rammellzee’s most recognisable visual works. Each print is individually hand-finished by TOXIC using spray paint, marker and hand-applied TMK-era tags, meaning no two editions are exactly alike. Limited to just 20 editions, alongside four artist’s proofs, every print becomes both a tribute to Rammellzee and an original work by TOXIC in its own right.
What makes the collaboration particularly meaningful is TOXIC’s personal connection to the work. He wasn’t interpreting Rammellzee’s legacy from a distance. He knew him. He witnessed TMK during its formative years, watched the Battle Station take shape and remembers the conversations, ideas and creative energy that surrounded Rammellzee’s practice.
That firsthand relationship gives the edition an authenticity that extends far beyond simply reworking an existing artwork. It reflects decades of shared history.
👉 Explore TOXIC x The Rammellzee: Geo Metrodome (coming soon)
TOXIC Today
More than four decades after first writing his name on New York’s walls and trains, TOXIC continues to paint with the same curiosity that first drew him to graffiti. His recent exhibitions demonstrate an artist who has never stopped evolving. Rather than repeating the past, his paintings continue to explore movement, abstraction, colour and gesture while remaining informed by the experiences that shaped his early years in the Bronx.
At the same time, his recollections have become an increasingly valuable part of graffiti history. As more writers, artists and historians seek to document the origins of New York graffiti, firsthand voices like TOXIC’s provide a perspective that cannot be recreated through photographs or archives alone. His memories connect the people, places and ideas that helped define one of the twentieth century’s most influential cultural movements.
For younger audiences discovering graffiti today, that makes TOXIC not simply an artist from the past, but an active participant in an ongoing conversation about the history and future of the culture.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is TOXIC?
TOXIC is the artist’s name of Torrick Ablack, a New York-born graffiti writer and contemporary painter who began writing during the late 1970s. Today he is recognised both for his contribution to New York graffiti history and for his long-established painting practice.
When did TOXIC start painting graffiti?
TOXIC began writing graffiti as a teenager in the late 1970s, growing up in the Bronx during the formative years of New York’s subway graffiti movement.
Was TOXIC part of TMK?
Yes. TOXIC became part of Tag Master Killers (TMK) after being introduced to Rammellzee through A-One. In our interview, he recalls discussing art, mathematics and science with Rammellzee, helping during the early development of the Battle Station and becoming part of the wider creative circle surrounding TMK.
Did TOXIC know Rammellzee?
Yes. TOXIC and Rammellzee developed a close creative relationship during New York’s downtown art scene of the early 1980s. Their friendship extended beyond graffiti into discussions about painting, theory and creative practice, and TOXIC remains one of the few artists able to speak firsthand about the early development of the Battle Station.
Does TOXIC still paint?
Yes. TOXIC continues to create paintings, exhibit internationally and collaborate on new projects while developing the abstract painting practice he has built over more than four decades.
Where can I see TOXIC’s artwork?
TOXIC’s paintings have been exhibited internationally and are held in museum and private collections, including the Brooklyn Museum. His work also continues to appear through selected gallery exhibitions and special collaborative projects.
Continue Exploring Rammellzee
If you’d like to learn more about Rammellzee and the wider history of New York graffiti, continue with:
👉 What Are Gothic Futurism & Ikonoklast Panzerism? Understanding Rammellzee’s Most Important Ideas
👉 How Rammellzee Influenced Hip Hop, Graffiti, Contemporary Art & Street Culture
👉 The Art of Rammellzee: Understanding His Paintings, Sculptures & Visual Language
👉 Rammellzee the Musician: How He Reimagined Hip Hop Through Sound, Language & Theory
👉 Beat Bop Explained: Why Rammellzee, K-Rob & Jean-Michel Basquiat Created One of Hip Hop’s Most Collectible Records
Final Thoughts
TOXIC’s career cannot be reduced to a single label. He began as a teenager writing graffiti in the Bronx during one of New York’s most creative periods, but over the following decades he developed into a painter whose work has continued to evolve while remaining connected to the experiences that shaped him.
Just as importantly, he offers something increasingly rare: a firsthand perspective on the people, places and conversations that helped define graffiti’s formative years. Through our recent interview, TOXIC speaks not only about painting trains or developing style, but about friendship, mentorship, artistic growth and the creative communities that existed long before graffiti entered galleries and museums.
Those memories remind us that graffiti history is not simply a collection of famous names or iconic photographs. It is a network of artists learning from one another, sharing ideas and constantly pushing each other to improve. TOXIC remains part of that story. Not simply because he witnessed it, but because he continues to contribute to it.
