From 1996 to 2016, working under the name ABOVE, Tavar Zawacki expanded his practice beyond the arrow into a new visual language built from text, humor, and linguistic play. In 2007, while traveling for six months through South and Central America, Tavar began developing a series of “WORD PLAY” text-based works that grew directly from his early graffiti foundation and his working knowledge of four languages. What began as humor quickly sharpened into strong social and political commentary. Pieces like “Blood Diamonds” in Johannesburg, “Occupy Wall St.” in Miami, and “#socialmedia” in Copenhagen pushed the work into direct engagement with global issues, amplifying ABOVE’s presence in the international press. These Wordplays became markers—moments where language, politics, and public space collided.

This archive brings together that evolution: the humor, the multilingual agility, the cultural responsiveness, and the willingness to speak directly to the moment. Zawacki’s Wordplays demonstrate another facet of his global approach to street art—a practice rooted in movement, observation, and the instinct to engage with the world not just visually, but verbally.

Miami, Florida, U.S.A. 2011

Occupy Wall Street (OWS) was a left-wing populist movement opposing economic inequality, corporate greed, big finance, and the influence of money in politics.

Created in response to the Occupy Wall Street movement, this 120-foot mural was completed with a suspended banker effigy, spelling out the message:

"GIVE A WALL ST. BANKER ENOUGH ROPE AND HE WILL HANG HIMSELF.”

Johannesburg, South Africa — 2012

Painted on the exterior of Jewel City, the largest diamond hub in the Southern Hemisphere, this site-specific wordplay confronts Africa’s history of blood-diamond conflicts. Zawacki secured the wall by promising to paint the harmless line “Diamonds are a woman’s best friend.” Once he began, the true message appeared:

“Diamonds are a woman’s best friend and a man’s worst enemy.”

A blunt critique of an industry long tied to violence, the piece quickly gained international attention, including coverage from ABC News.

Copenhagen, Denmark — 2012

At the time, Zawacki had zero social media presence—by choice. Yet everywhere he traveled, he saw how quickly people were disappearing into their screens. This time-lapse mural was his response: a tongue-in-cheek warning painted in real space about a world being swallowed by the digital one. The repeated act of repainting the wall became the message itself.

Ironically, the video of the mural was reposted, reblogged, and retweeted over a hundred thousand times—going viral on the very platforms it critiqued.

WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A 2017

What’s unique about this piece is that it’s become a popular proposal spot for people ready to pop the question to their loved ones. Tavar has received lost track of the emails I’ve received from couples sharing photos and their stories of saying “yes” in front of the mural.

I had no idea it would become an inspiration for people to propose here. Love is wild, isn’t it?

Stellenbosch, South Africa. 2012

The idea for this wordplay was inspired from the surreal image of that plane crashing into the roof—a strange, unique scene. Tavar wanted to capture that energy and create a statement that amplified the uniqueness of the moment.

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SAN SEBASTIAN, SPAIN 2013

Tavar grew up with “hippie” parents who encouraged him to dive deep into his imagination from an early age. Growing up, he was always playing with ideas, and these letters he painted were no exception. This freedom let him explore each letter’s form, constructing and deconstructing them in unexpected ways. His hope was for the viewer to tap into their own imagination to piece the letters together.

In October 2007, Tavar embarked on my “South Central Tour,” aiming to paint his way through South and Central America. He began in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and wrapped up seven months later in Mexico City. Despite intense challenges—this tour remains unforgettable for him. Here are few of his favorite Word Play paintings from those travels.

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'By The Time You Read This I'll Already Be Gone' (Guatemala City)

'Left Handers Are Never Right, Yeah Rite' (Santiago, Chile) *Hands from 'RIPO'

'Know Your Blows, Blow Your Nose' (Lima, Peru)

'One Man's Junk Is Another Mans Treasure' (Panama city)

'Trying 2 Put 2, and 2, 2Gether' (San Jose, Costa Rica)

'Fall Down' (Buenos Aires, Argentina)

'This Is The Beginning Of The End' (Mexico City, Mexico)