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Relationship Between Graffiti And Graffiti

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The Relations Between Street Art, Graffiti, and Culture
Street art, also known as “guerilla art” and “neo-graffiti” is a literate and self-conscious form of visual art, created and displayed in public locations, as a way for artists to communicate directly with an audience. Popular in cities and densely populated urban areas, street art is often commonly confused with graffiti. However, the two mediums have their differences. Graffiti takes the form of written words, usually a name or a tag, scrawled across structures such as walls or bridges in spray paint. Tags tend to be used as claims of territory or dominance over an area, and are demonstrated in a rebellious fashion.
While also a form of rebellion, street art is a medium where self proclaimed artists use walls, sidewalks, or any other architectural structure of their choice, and (as the name implies) create art (which goes beyond the use of one’s own name or tag) on the selected surface. Street art can take many shapes and forms: Stencils, paintings, stickers, or sculpture installations. It can be as simple as adding to something which is already there, or as complex as installing a huge piece which covers an entire wall. …show more content…

The roots of street art and graffiti lie in “post-industrial megapolis cultures” according to Magid. As a result, they are often associated with the idea of urban decay. Being generally more prevalent in poorer areas, many believe that the presence of street art and graffiti decreases property value. However, in his article Magid states that graffiti “represents an excellent argument for bolstering police surveillance” and that the system can “derive advantages not only from the vandalizing nature of graffiti, but also from its creative element”. Although graffiti and street art can represent a challenge to the law, it also stands as as social commentary about the subjectivity of the laws

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