Is Graffiti Art, Through Vandalism?

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

Graffiti is a controversial topic in some areas that would say that graffiti can’t be considered art. But how can’t it be considered art? Does the location or the message of the art make it any less art? How much do people even know about graffiti, which is judged upon so hard in today's era?

Today there are world known graffiti artists, Aryz, Kaws, and D Face are just a few. Any artist wants to be recognized and have their work appreciated. That is why public property is so appealing to the graffiti artist. A train car moving throughout the city with your mural on it will be seen by hundreds, even if its up for a small period of time. Most graffiti artists take time to create a piece. It takes a lot of planning and effort to make a great piece of art. Graffiti artists are all about techniques, you need to be able to show you are an expert in your medium. It’s also important for a graffiti artist to find an imaginative spot for a mural, so it’s obvious that it’s hard work. To make graffiti a piece of art it must have purpose and inflict emotion on its audience, which is why the forcefulness of the urban environment is as much as part of the artwork as the graffiti itself. Taggers have no real reason to create graffiti. Nor is what they do visually pleasing.

Most people can argue that there is a fine distinction between what is recognized as art and vandalism. The individual is often faced with uncertainty when the topic of graffiti arises. The public often portray graffiti as a destructive act towards his or her surroundings however; graffiti can also be considered a form of self-expression. Many questions can be made pertaining to the graffiti movement, but the main question is graffiti a crime or an art? The answers lie in the complex phrase of “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”.

First of all, tagging and graffiti are very different even though there are spoken in similar context. In source 1 by Steven Dolan it states “Although tagging is the most common type of graffiti, there are bigger, more accomplished examples that appear on larger spaces..” However, even though tagging and graffiti are very different, people will still often say they are very similar because they are both made of cans of paint.

If you were to go open a dictionary and look up the definition of art, you would see that it has art as “The expression or application of human creative skill and imagination…” (“Art” 2017) and “Works produced by human creative skill and imagination.” (“Art” 2017). From these definitions, graffiti is art, yet in most cases, it’s considered vandalism because it is done without permission of the property. When graffiti is done in a designated place or with the permission of the property owner, then it can truly be considered art. But even if these circumstances are not met, if the graffiti goes beyond a simple tag, it is art.

By definition, graffiti is illegal. It is also considered vandalism because public or private property is intentionally destroyed, but in Alex Boyd’s blog “In Defense of Graffiti”, he clearly conveys his argument about how graffiti shows qualities of value and shouldn’t be criticized on impulse. Even though many people have seen graffiti as something to be condoned, punishable, and terrorizing, it is actually just another form of expression, communication, art, and point of view.

Is graffiti seen as vandalism or a notable art that is used to voice the opinion of many artists? Many are quick to conclude that graffiti is an act of defacing public property, but few are in understanding of what real graffiti is. Graffiti is defined as art that is displayed or created in public spaces. So this presents the question of why some critics believe that graffiti should not be classified as a real subcategory of art. Below is the explanation as to why graffiti needs to be considered among the most prestigious and notable art forms.

Now driving to work or walking down Beale, I look for graffiti. I realized that I answered my own question, “Is graffiti ART?” Yes, it is no matter what my friends say or think. If was the only person in the world that considers graffiti art, then that is what it is. Thankfully, I am not

In the summer of 2013, a graffiti artist by the name of 'Lady Pink' had police barge into her house in Queens and arrest her husband for vandalism. They took her art supplies, photo archives, and many of her prized possessions. She had to sit there, helpless, watching police take away her things. In today's world right now, expressing yourself creatively is one of the most important things you can do to help figure out who you are. A part of creative expression is art. Art makes people happy. Graffiti falls into the art category. For some people, graffiti is what they do to express themselves. Graffiti is art and shouldn't be illegal. Expressing yourself creatively shouldn't be a crime.

Artists that use graffiti is a way of expression to society. They express what they might be feeling inside or going through. Every art piece has a story behind it. Graffiti is like poetry.

Graffiti can be found everywhere and anywhere. It is a way for people to express themselves and be creative in a public manner. It shows how passionate and talented they can be when it comes to drawing or tagging and have it displayed as a piece of art for everyone to see. Graffiti goes way back to the ancient times and is now very well known in the modern days which makes more and more people interested and fascinated by them. It can be used in different types of ways. Many artists can either spray paint, carve, paste, or stencil them on a surface. From how we see them today they are usually images of random cartoons, big bubbly letters, vintage black and whites or inspirational quotes. Virtually anything colorful or not and big that can be easily spotted. Graffiti is more superior to be known as art than vandalism because it is a self expressing act. People need to be open minded about the images they see and look at the message behind it or else they will immediately criticize and say it is vandalizing property.

Graffiti provides people with a creative art form outdoors. Many people want to get rid of graffiti but it is what represents lives, thoughts, and even culture. If you get rid of graffiti you are getting rid of these too. Art is expressing how you feel through color, picture, and even deep messages and graffiti is an art form.

Art: the ultimate form of self expression. But, what constitutes an art? And, who decides? These very questions plague society as it tries to decide and define the official status of graffiti--art or vandalism? Because it has found its way into art galleries and because of the community of artists who challenge and inspire each other, graffiti should be considered art and as a way to express oneself.

Graffiti has put a major impact on the way people look at their everyday life. It was not used so much here in the United States but was used overseas. Overseas, graffiti, or street art, was used or played as a sport, just like baseball is Americas sport. There are different laws that are put over there than what there are here. They can get away with some of the things that they paint or make over there. If we tried some of that type of work over here, we would get in trouble and possibly serve time for vandalizing someone else’s property. There are many biased outlooks on graffiti, but it should be considered art in all places because of all the time, effort, and design the artist put into their work.