Combo Combo Street Activism

Artist Drew Hamilton’s, Street Corner Project exhibits the transformation of the view of American art and aesthetics. What was once viewed as beautiful art has changed with out modern art. The artist chose to exhibit his very own Bushwick apartment over the neighborhood bodega in Brooklyn. The artist Drew Hamilton’s artistic choice to change the standard view on aesthetic artwork depicting a true view of the neighborhood through his mini model. Drew Hamilton’s creation of the mini model that mimics the scene of everyday life of Brooklyn residents. Hamilton refashions the basic norms of aesthetics by inventing a new form of imperfect perfection and reaming true to the actual view of his apartment.

In the 1980’s the art world was gifted with the artist Jean michel basquiat. Basquiat, a man who lived two contrasting lives as street artist and “fine artist” in the art punk movement of the 1980’s. His work as a street artist was full of poetic and provocative messages painted in the streets of Manhattan New York, and his work as a “fine artist” did the same on gigantic canvases with looming figures in bold colours. Regardless of this dichotomy, his work in both of these practices has the ability to bring light to issues he and many others were facing and are still facing now. In particular, Basquiat’s work brought light to his personal experience with racism and struggle with otherness in and outside of the brutal art world. The next paragraphs will discuss how Jean Michel Basquiat delt and fought the oppressive systems of his time through his art.

His satirical street art and subversive epigrams combine dark humor with graffiti done in a distinctive stenciling technique. Such artistic works of political and social commentary have been featured on streets, walls, and bridges of cities throughout the world.

“In contrast to government-commissioned public art, street art is illicit and subversive in nature. Therefore, most street artists, including Banksy, use pseudonyms to avoid legal prosecution for vandalism.”(Chung 27) Banksy’s street art does not focus on competing with rival artists, but focuses on engaging with a broader audience in a deeper level. He provokes his audience by deeply expressing out various social practices that helps viewers to reflect and confront certain aspects together as a community. (27) The underlying message of Banksy’s art can lead towards an active involvement of street art within the community.

According to an article title “Grass Roots Activism” by Garry Crystal, grass root activism is “a group of people who feel strongly enough about an issue to actively make a difference”. These groups of people are not involved in political parties; they just want change as a result of their contribution. According to dictionary.com astroturfing is, “a PR tactic used in politics and advertising in which actors are paid to display overt and apparently spontaneous grassroots support for a particular product, policy, or event”. So unlike Grass Roots Activism the people involved in astroturfing don’t actually feel strong about a particular issue they just pretend because there are incentives involved.

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.

The Government no longer considered graffiti a ‘quality’ of artwork. Martin Wong was an avid believer of graffiti art. He strongly believed that it is a significant form of art that caused movements in the twentieth century. He collaborated graffiti art work and urban street art to create his lifestyle. It was important for him to display his art work. He confounded his art works with Peter Broda in the 1986 at the Graffiti Museum that is now incorporated to the current Museum of the New York City. This exhibition showcased the various works of the artists of graffiti arts like Lee Quinones, ‘Crash’, LA2, ‘Daze’, A-One, Sharp, and many more. As a group they were able to address the personal, poetic and social concerns. The recognition of neo-expressionist and neo-conceptual movements was the glue that held the Graffiti museum together. He never allowed the postmodernist agenda to effect his work. Unfortunately Martin Wong was one of the artists that acquired AIDS during the 80’s epidemic. Artists like him that include David Wojnarowicz and Keith Harring collaborated with each other to work on art with emphasis about AIDS. Martin Wong’s continued to live his life through his art

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

Banksy is one of the famous English graffiti artist, film director, painter and political activist through the use of painting. He has produced different satirical street art combined with subversive epigrams and dark humor of graffiti. These have been executed in the distinctive stenciling method. Therefore, the paper analyzes how Banksy has changed the people’s view of graffiti as being vandalism to a form of controversial political issues using street art. The name Banksy has ignited controversy and piqued curiosity. He is undoubtedly one of the famous and most controversial street artists who has emerged on the global stage. The fact that the identity Banksy remains unknown after more than twenty years on the graffiti scene improves the intrigue that surrounds most of his work. There are various artworks of Banksy that have appeared in, Canada, England, America, Australia, France, Palestine and Israel and Jamaica. His pictorial, as well as, satirical messages are seen across the boundaries of art, philosophy, politics, narcissism, sociology and humor.

Artists who choose the streets as their gallery are often doing so from a preference to communicate directly with the public at large, free from perceived confines of the formal art world. Street artists sometimes present socially relevant content infused with esthetic value, to attract attention to a cause or as a form of "art provocation". Common variants include adbusting, subvertising and other culture jamming, the abolishment of private property and reclaiming the streets.

Jean-Michel Basquiat emerged from the punk scene in New York as a street-smart graffiti artist. He successfully crossed over his downtown origins to the international art gallery circuit. Basquiat’s work is one of the few examples of how an early 1980’s American graffiti-based could become a fully recognized artist. Despite his work’s unstudied appearance, Basquiat very skillfully and purposefully brought together in his art a host of disparate traditions, practices and styles to create a unique kind of visual collage. His work is an example of how American artists of the 1980’s could reintroduce the human figure in their work after the wide success of minimalism and conceptualism.

Acrylic paint is for losers, it could never match with the likes of oil paint. This was a common belief for any artist during the 20th century. Likewise, paint is a complex medium in the realm of visual artist; it always strikes an intricate dialogue within artistic domiciles. Who will survive? Oil paint, the noble, protagonist grease; or Acrylic paint, the economical, underdog wash. Consequently, most creatives argue between the importance of both mediums, but it genuinely relies on the preference of the artist; whatever she or he promotes in consideration of the pigment and drying time, expenses and brands, and “beginners versus professionals” stigmas.

The beginning of the twentieth century marked a significant event not just in the changes of ideology, technology, but also the way artists approach art. Communism and Fascism were on the rise and technological advances held strong since the industrial revolution. However, “The need for a wholesale new approach to art in the nineteenth century arose as the traditional forms of art were borne down on by new conditions and experiences.” (21) became apparent. To satisfy this need artists took many different approaches, but three most significant they approaches this issue involve: the rejection of traditional art, protesting status quo, and the "non-western" approach. Although each approach is rapidly different from the other, they share the same bond of testing the boundary of art and at times ignoring it completely. This resulted in artwork becoming more powerful, meaningful, and influential.

Communication through expression of the arts is a meme that can eventually invoke a response or prompt an action that needs to be taken. The mural movement and graffiti are recent adoptions for expression that have lent themselves primarily for political commentary. Murals evolved from its roots of only being circulated amongst aristocrats and other high class individuals to merge with the modernist invention of graffiti art to create two dominant forms of art. These were primarily used as criticism against establishments and to speak for environmentalism. As a result of so many people having investment in their society, graffiti art leads to politicians, advertising executives, and graffiti writers being in danger. Graffiti art has been a successful force in pushing their messages to their audience. This is because of the divisiveness of the art, the success in pushing ideas on people, the force of the art, and because graffiti art embodies the counter-culture.

Art comes in multiple forms in which people use to share things as simple as scenic views and as ornate as hidden messages. Some types of art include painting, music, writing, poetry and more. Street art is an example of art that is misunderstood, it can be otherwise known as graffiti. Throughout cities, there are many artists, such as Keith Haring, who convey messages through drawings rather than literal texts. As the graffiti artists have their own way of conveying their views, authors, like George Orwell, use words to demonstrate their views. Keith Haring and George Orwell’s similar educational background, personal struggles, and political beliefs influenced their artwork and reflect common themes of rebellion, sex and fear.