Graffiti is (not) Art?

Arguments for or against graffiti are old as first spray can filled with a color hit the store shelf’s around 1950. One thing is sure, today in urban environment, we can’t live with graffiti all around us and we can’t live without them.

Some will say, most of graffiti, especially tagging, are pure vandalism, more or less tolerated by society because some think that it can’t be stopped or dealt with, even though others are calling for a number of different solutions.

Graffiti in action

While every artist out there, who had expressed her/himself publicly at some point in her/his life, by quickly scrambling an art work on privately or publicly owned wall, in the late hours of the night, will stand their ground and argue that on display is an art piece, looks like that rest of urban population, especially those directly affected, can’t and won’t accept it as such. As much I understand, in question is not individual artistic ability out there and hours spend on creation of a graffiti but location, location, location.

To get more real on the topic with real life situation, here is an example from Montreal – graffiti wall against tagging!

Graffiti wall against tagging

Few years back I read somewhere; “then, give us a wall where we can freely express ourselves”. City council responded to this positively and had designated free for all graffiti wall. Wall has been used over and over again. Sometimes, while driving by in two consecutive days, you could see new graffiti pooping up over those graffiti that were still not dry. One would think that new graffiti and tagging of every clean object (white canvas) out there stopped, especially in immediate proximity to the graffiti wall.

Did graffiti wall in question help?

After few years, came as a surprise to some, that wall was repainted and sign on the same wall basically explained that because new graffiti and tags are constantly popping up everywhere, even on properties surrounding the graffiti wall, it will no longer serve for this purpose. Wall has been repainted and mural (another graffiti) has been created.

Conclusion would be that, graffiti wall did not work and graffiti mural is an art measure that prevents vandalism, one that graffiti wall should have in the first place. As result, everyone who does not want graffiti anywhere, on private or public property, has to live with a new-old reality.

On the other hand, graffiti artists are back to square one, when opportunity presents white canvas, everything goes, if nothing else then a small tag, not a graffiti some will say, those that should not bother anyone, right?

Does “graffiti art”, so called murals, prevent vandalism? Do you think it can be put to the stop this kind of artistic expression, also called vandalism by some? Is there a difference in between taggers and graffiti artists?