This form of art is viewed in a positive light because it is aesthetically pleasing and it has the ability to be understood by its audience. However, the existence of graffiti that is used to communicate among members of the graffiti community overpopulates street art and causes society to view graffiti as a whole as negative. These forms of graffiti are illegible by the general public and are viewed as threats because the message behind them is uncertain and they may send negative messages. In a recent study conducted by the Economic Research Centre (ERC), the insecurity felt by outsiders of the graffiti community was described. “Given the limitations of current approaches to graffiti as a form of vandalism, we propose an alternative view of graffiti as a form of media. This is not a new perspective. Graffiti has previously been understood as a form of communication that is used to transmit information, messages and the like between ‘senders’ and ‘receivers’” (Thompson, 2012). The lack of understanding of these messages causes people to become uncomfortable and not want to visit areas that contain graffiti due to their unfamiliarity with their surroundings and the true messages behind the…
An example of this is,” Anyone can paint on the council-owned wall any time they like. Mike Crilley, the graffiti wall project organizer, promotes the positive side of graffiti and runs workshops for local children.” (Graffiti: Art or Vandalism). There is a wall meant for people to walk by and embrace the art, or even make some of their own, without breaking a law and just to make the city prettier. They are even teaching kids about it, just like how kids take art classes in school to learn…
Banksy, a street artist, has become an inspiration to many people worldwide. He has also become a hated person for his graffiti. He comes from Bristol, England and makes his artworks throughout the globe. For his artworks he mainly uses stencils. He also uses appropriation in some of his artwork to display a deeper meaning to them. This week we have an interview with the man himself, Banksy. Interviewer: Some critics and writers believe you are not an artist but a vandal. This includes Charles…
Graffiti, itself, is typically considered a crime, or more specifically vandalism, on the basis of the writers and artists usually putting their pieces on both public and private property without permission, which is considered illegal. Various styles of graffiti, for instance gang graffiti and certain types of tagging for example, are executed with malicious intentions and spread hateful messages. These types of graffiti are primarily done to mark and claim gang territories, cause chaos and…
Banksy was known as king of graffiti, british artist, painter and as well as a filmmaker with a unknown identity (“The Story Behind Banksy”). The names Robin Gunningham and Robert Banks are often used unknowingly to give an identity to Banksy (“Banksy Biography”). The true identity still to this day is uncertain. Banksy began his career in the early 90’s with a graffiti crew in Bristol called DryBreadZ (“Banksy Biography”). Banksy’s work was considered vandalism by law and critics but, it is…
his life to this art form to allow people to see the beauty behind graffiti by using it for “positive messaging.” When Mike was 11, he was creating traditional art, but started painting graffiti to get away from the simplistic traditional art. Mike’s first most recognized mural was done with a team of 7 other artists that came together to paint a 1,500 square foot mural of the word “Portland” in all capital letters on the back wall of an asylum nightclub. This adventure has become the…
Interrogations by the Graffiti community Graffiti is a subgenre of Hip-hop, and wherever you find Hip Hop you will find graffiti. Graffiti artists do not agree on whether graffiti artists should participate in advertising campaigns… The conflict of interest here makes for fascinating research to investigate what happens when something subversive and anti-mainstream gets co-opted for commercial purposes. Converse presented street art as graffiti in style and motivation however the artists used…
Graffiti has been a topic of debate for decades. Is it art, or is it a crime? However, it is not one or the other, says Eric Felisbert, in his article, “Legal Venues Celebrate Graffiti as an Art Form,” from the New York Times, “from the perspective of a graffiti writer, the debate about whether graffiti is art or crime is pointless because, ideally, it is both.” Although it’s artistic merits can't be denied, graffiti is still in fact a form of vandalism. Graffiti is not a crime - trespass and…
Art or Vandalism The word “graffiti” comes from the Latin word “graphium”, which means “to write”. The phrase “graffiti” originally was used by an archeologist to describe drawings and writings found on ancient buildings and monuments in Pompeii, Egypt and in the Roman catacombs. Graffiti is an art form because it’s a way for people to express how they are, graffiti is a style like no other, and it inspires people all over the world to be unique. Graffiti is a way to express yourself in…
Graffiti has and always will be at the center of controversy. Key questions about ownership, vandalism, and legality of the work remain unanswered due to their convoluted twists and turns that generally leave people speechless in regards to formulating a thoughtful and educated answer. Analyzing the origin of modern day graffiti helps to provide a justification for such confusion. Graffiti is rooted in the unsanctioned use of public space; it was meant to “break boundaries and def[y] the law”…