Bombing Modernism: Graffiti

Going back to the original question, what is considered graffiti? McAuliffe and Iveson proposed an idea, “asking whether graffiti is still graffiti if it is taken from its illegal context on the walls of the city and placed in a gallery” (130). In “The Making of Space, Race and Place” by Maggie Dickinson, Sandra Fabara, a writer who was featured in the Brooklyn Museum exhibit, answered this question. Fabara argued that “The pieces in galleries cease to be graffiti because they have been removed from the cultural context that gives graffiti a reason for being, a voice from the ghetto. Authentic graffiti cannot exist in the sanctuary provided by the galleries and museums” (39). She is saying that since the cultural side is being taken away and

An example of an artist who’s work is only present in the urban environment is a Melbourne graffiti artist under the alias of Aeon. Examples of his artworks are “Black” (undated) and “Foes” (undated), both of which are considered “Pieces” produced with spray paint on a bricked surface. Such pieces are only available for viewing on the streets of Melbourne on back lanes and ally ways. The location of his works add to the effect and subjective nature of his works with the emphasis of art flourishing in all areas of the world and by

Art. Art is “the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power.” (google). That’s kind of a lot. Basically, art is anything created as a product of human creativity and imagination to portray a message, trigger an emotion, or just, look good. That being said, what isn’t art? Anything, from the mona lisa to the projects sitting around this room were made by human imagination and creativity to portray a message or just be beautiful. What if you were told, that all of the hard work that was put into those projects and paintings, was illegal? Not accepted by some people as art, and frowned upon.

Graffiti has been around for more than half a decade and practiced worldwide. However there is debate between whether it is a form of art or vandalism. Graffiti artists’ debate that many do not understand the reason most graffiti artist take the risk of incarceration, fines, injuries, and in some cases death to paint a wall. A graffiti artist can have the simple desire to become recognized, or to create a piece that speaks to their audience as a form of self expression. Because graffiti is associated with gangs and acts of destruction to some many cannot see the history and importance graffiti can have on a worldwide scale. Due to the fact that graffiti is usually produced illegally, meaning it is

Graffiti portrays contemporary sub-cultured art through its versatility and bold attractiveness on the communal grounds. In the 1970s, graffiti was blatantly acknowledged as territorial graffiti where

If you walk through almost any city, the buildings, bridges, and any other available spaces are seemingly filled with colors, picture, and words that are not part of the original architecture. This graffiti, which is a mix of tags, stencils, pieces, and freestyle, seems to have almost taken over cities across the world. Some of this graffiti, such as tags, are eyesores, but some pieces, such as the High Line “Love Is the Answer” and “Kiss” murals in New York City, are sites that have become iconic pieces of artwork. Unfortunately, pieces like these are also starting to be covered to a seemingly astronomical rate, which is causing outrage among those who visited to them.

According to Boyd, through Graffiti is essential to understand as a form of art that crosses the boundaries of location, method, and motivation. He acknowledges that graffiti might include “racist remarks, empty slogans and illegal signatures.”(Boyd 251) Boyd’s piece is also very informative because according to the author, there are two methods for creating this form of art: murals and tagging. The most popular one is tagging because it can be found almost everywhere from fence posts to trains, street walls to buses. The main goal of graffiti writers is to put their signature tags in places to be recognized by their

Washington, D.C. is rapidly changing in front of the citizen’s eyes. It is becoming a victim of “The Plan,” a theoretical conspiracy plan construed by whites to take over D.C.’s real estate, physical space, and politics. Gentrification in Washington, D.C. can essentially be defined as a shift in the community to attract and accommodate newcomers at the expense of the current inhabitants. In Washington, four neighborhoods are currently in the process of gentrification: Barry Farm, Lincoln Heights/Richardson Dwellings, Northwest One and Park Morton. These particular neighborhoods were specifically targeted by the government for their high crime rates, significant population of impoverished citizens, and inclusion of a certain economic class.

As stated by Taki, an influential graffiti artist when addressing the concern authorities held about his graffiti writing, “Why they go after the little guy? Why not campaign organizations that put stickers all over the subways at election time?” (Chronopoulos 2011, pg. 81). Though, graffiti is deemed as legitimate when it is used to generate profit, which is seen through the recent increased demand for graffiti with the purpose of beautification and gentrification. Evidently, the growing concern over graffiti in public spaces is driven by the conflict graffiti creates when obstructing advertisements, which generate increased consumption and profit. It also demonstrates the lack of tolerance the dominant class has for the promotion of dominance by the lower class. Moreover, constant “public proclamations” which urged people to see graffiti writing as a social safety issue, has certainly influenced the demand for anti-graffiti efforts and the attitudes upper and middle class whites had towards Blacks and Latinos (Chronopoulos 2011, pg. 87)

Street art is progressively increasing as a forbidding magnet to charm tourists to the Bronx. People are taking benefit of the worldwide interest in street art and its strong origins as a Bronx art form, and expecting that this overpowers what Maruri named the “world-wide problem” of a bad image that the area still fights with.

As a neighborhood that has always been regarded as low-income the newly renovated downtown and plaza area is a distinct contrast to it. “El Segundo Barrio had some of the worst housing conditions in the country. Once compared to the poor, slum areas of Kolkata, India, the city gradually made improvements to the neighborhood.” (Natassia Bonyanpour). Gentrification can be threatening to the history of this neighborhood, but the remnants of the early days of immigration, the “Chicano” movement and “Pachuco” lifestyle of Zoot Suits and black leather pointed shoes, will always be embedded into the street signs and sidewalks, as long as people still call the neighborhood

Gentrification is generally usually picked implies, or possibly endeavored means, of reviving focal urban areas that have fallen on harsh circumstances. Gentrification is the way toward supplanting the poor populace of an area with the rich and reorienting the region along upscale lines. Gentrification grant has concentrated on characterizing the term and its starting points, understanding its results and perceiving gentrifiers ' identity and why and how they gentrify neighborhoods. The dislodging impacts of gentrification have been a focal concentration, despite the fact that in the previous decade researchers have likewise inspected gentrifiers including their inspirations and encounters and how gentrification mirrors their tastes and

Gentrification is a practice that cultivates social displacement. This change is revealed in the change of the neighborhoods environmental aesthetics, engrossed by the belief that a rebirth of the older city was in the making.

Street art is a visual art created all over the streets, it can be present in a form of posters, graffiti, window paints, and murals, among others. All of those artists that chose to exhibit their art on the streets, rather than in a museum or gallery is because they are situated it in a non-art context. The products they use to produce their art works most of the time are: free hand aerosol paints, krink markers, plutonium paints and graffiti remover used to create perfect images all over the cities. Street art adorn the urban landscape, explode the skills of the artists, and finally but no less important, is constructive providing a specific social message for all the audience.

The origin and history of graffiti is not what one might expect. Believed to have been created by a Philadelphia high school student named Cornbread in 1967, it was a bold effort to catch the attention of a girl (De Melker). In this same time period, graffiti sprung up in New York as well. It was “one among many forms of social protest” during