Is it art …?

or vandalism?

Graffiti is a controversial topic which has long been debated as a trouble to

society imposed upon the public or more recently as a legitimate form of

creative expression.

There are many graffiti artists who put time and effort into their work, such as

Banksy…

or Marc Echo

Aik Saath, meaning 'together as one' in Hindi, Urdu and Panjabi, is an independent charity organisation which aims to promote peace and racial harmony, has paid graffiti artists to paint a mural in the style of graffiti that the council has authorised on a public walkway.

In this case the mural above captures the ethos of the conflict resolution charity Aik Saath who aim to encourage positive relationships across different sections of the local community.

Graffiti can be very artistic, colourful and can brighten up an area. It can display the artist’s feelings or opinions about the world around them.

Vandalism such as graffiti is usually done by the younger generation as they are influenced by the more experienced artists, therefore they usually get in trouble by writing swear words which little kids can see and doing graffiti on walls, where they are not allowed to .The stereotype image of a graffiti artist is no good nicks that do it just to annoy and disrupt the community.

Vandalism

History of Graffiti

People first recognized graffiti as an art form during the 1970’s and 80’s when graffiti artists began colouring the NYC subway. The first graffiti artist, a young boy from America, with the alias TAKI 183, graffitied on subway trains, stations, sign posts and buildings.

Graffiti on subway trains

The New York Times published an article about the mysterious TAKI 183 tag, making him known to the rest of the public.

The new craze grew and the boy then had a whole gang of graffiti artists; the groups were known as ‘crews’. They would try to hit (spray paint) as many trains as possible.

United Graffiti Artists

The United Graffiti Artists was created in the early 70’s and some wanted their graffiti art to be displayed in professional art galleries. Art dealers in Europe took an interest at the New York Cities (NYCS) subway art during the 1980’s and many of the graffiti artists were asked to travel with them around Europe.

Commercialization and entrance into mainstream pop culture

With the popularity and legitimization of graffiti has come a level of commercialization. In 2001, computer giant IBM launched an advertising campaign in Chicago and San Francisco which involved people spray painting on sidewalks a peace symbol, a heart, and a penguin (Linux mascot), to represent "Peace, Love, and Linux." However due to illegalities some of the "street artists" were arrested and charged with vandalism, and IBM was fined for punitive and clean-up costs.

Linux Graffiti Art

• During this period many graffiti artists had taken to displaying their works in galleries and owning their own studios. This practice started in the early 1980s with artists such as Jean-Michel Basquiat, who started out tagging locations with his signature SAMO (Same Old Shit), and Keith Haring, who was also able to take his art into studio spaces.

Basquiat

BasquiatAmerican artist Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-1988) gained popularity first as a graffiti artist in New York City. Later, he was recognised as a successful 1980s-era Neo-expressionist artist.

Jean-Michel Basquiat grew up in Brooklyn, New York, where he initially created graffiti on subways, signing them with SAMO© (standing for “SAMe Old shit”).

In 1980 Basquait participated in his first exhibition, the Times Square Show. His fame and friendship with Andy Warhol, began a year later. The artists admired each other, and collaborated in nearly one hundred works.

Basquiat’s paintings still influence modern day artists and command high prices.

Keith Haring

Portuguese Graffiti

Street Art

• The artists that produce street art are, indeed, "artists." Some have become quite famous, e.g. Keith Haring, and Basquiat.

• When you come upon street art, on the street, it can be an overwhelming experience. It comes as a visual surprise, a dazzling visual surprise; dazzling, because of the combination of dynamic, well executed graphic, the texture of the wall it is painted on, and the entire street setting, all of it coming at you at once.

Graffiti, Murals, Sidewalk Chalk ArtUrban Art