Category: Vandalism

I was sitting in one of my classes and noticed there was something on my desk. I looked at it while trying to figure out what it was and noticed it was a very bizarre-looking disco ball. It had me wondering how many other pictures could I find. I saw pictures drawn in permanent marker in the bathroom stalls and some things carved into the benches on the patio, presumably by a lead pencil. I get up from my seat and head to my next class, the day felt like forever and I was dreading the upcoming math test I had. As I was going home, I spot a stop sign that looked as though it had been continuously hit by something. Later on, in the week, I see an old building with broken windows.

At this point, I was genuinely curious about why people deface property that did not belong to them. Is it the desire to draw attention? boredom? is it driven by a political ideology or is it simply misguided playfulness? I sat down with my Starbucks Frappuccino and opened my laptop to do some research. As I clicked through many links I found one that seemed legitimate and —boom!—found myself intrigued. I read that vandalism of property can often result in immense financial losses, depending on what you deface of course. Damaging of property usually occurs At higher rates in urban areas like New York, this is because the individual can act anonymously.

Many acts of vandalism are misdemeanors, so maximum penalties may include fines and up to a year in the local jail, however, vandalism that leads to very serious damage to valuable property is a felony. Defendants charged with a felony can face more than a couple of years in state prison and face significant fines. You could report defacement of property to the police, but there is not much they can do considering there is not usually solid proof of who committed the heinous act.

A common type of vandalism you can expect to find is graffiti. Some simplistic, others filled with color, like a unicorn, threw up on it. You can see graffiti on the side of an ancient building, on the sidewalk, which is kinda weird, and even on some public trash cans. As I mentioned before, this is all mainly seen in urban areas. Around me, I don’t see much graffiti, but there is this one location that is absolutely filled with it. People go there to take an unnecessary amount of pictures and post them on Instagram. Honestly, I think it looks really cool. It is a seemingly abandoned-looking area, but it has been turned into something beautiful, as beautiful as a bunch of random squiggles can be. It’s like putting a glossy coat of sealer on a painting, it makes it look fresh and vivid. I don’t condone vandalism at all, but I’m saying if I had to be okay with one form of it, it would be graffiti. If you were to spray paint the tower bridge in London or the Hagia Sophia In Istanbul that’s a completely different story as those are historic pieces of architecture. However, if you really wanted to spray paint an old building that has been run down for over a century to the point where it looks like it’s going to collapse any second, go ahead as long as you are cautious enough to not get caught.

So, if you are feeling bold and daring enough to graffiti something, at least make it worth your while and do something interesting. Instead of doing the basic Superman logo try something unique. Some suggestions include A big purple star with Dr. Phil’s face on it, an armadillo wearing a cowboy hat, a sponge-bob playing the flute while in a Cadillac…you get the idea. Just don’t go around doing this at school or at your local museum.

Banksy is an anonymous street artist whose art is a highly controversial topic. Whether it is considered art or vandalism is the question within the street art community. Banksy was first inspired to create his own street art by the French graffiti artist, Blek Le Rat, who was one of the first to spray paint graffiti in Paris.

Banksy originally started off in a few small graffiti groups but eventually started creating his own work, starting small in his hometown, Bristol. He picked up the name “Banksy” to protect his identity and has stuck with it ever since. Most of his artworks use stencils, which are sheets of cardboard or plastic, with numerous letters and symbols, such as peace signs and silhouettes of people or animals, on them. This technique helps create his works faster and more precisely than free handing. He first thought of this idea when he had to flee from a piece he was working on to flee from the police. He found himself hiding under a garbage truck where he noticed some stenciled letters and, at that moment, he had the idea of using stencils for his future pieces.

A question that is asked a lot when it comes to street artists like Banksy is whether it is art or vandalism. To answer this question we have to understand the meanings of art, and vandalism. The google definition for art is as follows, “ 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”. The google definition for vandalism is, “Action involving deliberate destruction of or damage to public or private property”. So, when comparing those, there is a big difference between the two but which category does Banksy’s artwork fit into?

This is an artwork done by Banksy called “Slave Labour”. This artwork was brought into the public eye in North London, featuring a little boy who seems to be dirty and poorly dressed. This artwork shows this young boy using an antique sewing machine to make flags with the Union Jack on them. This piece is known to express the disapproval of child labor, and the Union Jack bunting also represents the disapproval of Jubilee celebrations and the creation of the Union Jacks. He used a stencil for this piece, painting in black and white to draw the audience’s attention to the flags, which are colored. I think this piece is classified as art, and not vandalism. If you go back to the definition of vandalism it states, “The destruction or damage to public or private property”. Even though Banksy did not have permission to paint this artwork in a public space, the quality and the message of the artwork, in my opinion, make this a lot less like vandalism and a lot more like art. This artwork is not destruction nor damage to property, it is a piece of art that highlights a serious social issue in a creative way.

This artwork was discovered by the public in Chinatown, Boston. I believe it represents today’s society and the public’s opinion towards others. Today society tells us to ‘follow our dreams but only if it approves of that dream and ‘be yourself’ but only if it’s the you that they want you to be. This artwork is a mockery of these modern societal views. This artwork also takes part in the political and economic environment as the man in the painting is portrayed to be a lower- middle-classed man who looks to be suffering from an economic crisis, which is shown through his unsatisfied expression.

I believe that Banksy is an artist and not a vandal. His artworks are made to spread awareness of serious global and local issues. He doesn’t spray paint buildings to damage property, he sprays paints them to reach the public eye through humor or aggravation. Clearly, Banksy has a strong social conscience in the way he shares his opinions on how society works and he clearly wants the public to be challenged by the views he introduces and expresses through his works.

Today is 2022, anyone living in a big city knows that graffiti is becoming more and more popular. For example, in downtown Melbourne, there are graffiti walls. But when it comes to graffiti themes, most of us will easily agree that this is a brand new art. However, the focus of the debate is usually whether the art of graffiti is legal. Some people think it is vandalism, others think it is a crime. Most people think that graffiti is a way for artists to express their emotions, which can attract the attention of contemporary people and be used by the public. A common objection is that graffiti is not art because it is vandalism and criminal behavior. Although this is indeed vandalism and criminality, these facts seem to have nothing to do with their artistic status. The mere fact that something is considered illegal or classified as vandalism does not seem to be enough to make something fall into the realm of art.

Artists view art as a form of self-expression. Art can show the artist’s feelings and also bring emotions to the audience. Usually, people regard art as a picture and use it as decoration, but there are many different ways to explain the beauty of art. Artists use different techniques to express their feelings. In painting, the most expressive form is color. Dark colors are used to express depression, sadness, depression, and more negative emotions. On the contrary, bright colors show joy, softness, joy, and a more positive feeling. Bridget Riley’s point of view is: “Finally, all paintings are about the relationship between color, shape, and line, whether abstract or figurative.” This relationship is positive because People may not know that graffiti can make artists express themselves in an unconventional way.

In 2011, Toronto Mayor Rob Ford launched the ‘Graffiti Elimination Operation’ to end all vandalism in Toronto. Ford believes that graffiti can damage the health, safety, and security of the community. Ford said: ‘This is not art, it’s garbage, it’s graffiti, it’s bullshit.’ In other words, Ford thinks that graffiti is not art. Ford disagrees that graffiti is considered art. Art is defined as the expression or application of human creativity and imagination. Graffiti is art. Most people agree that graffiti is an art. Artists can express their feelings, inspire young people today, and apply them to the public. Even if the strictest graffiti laws are implemented, it does not matter, because compared with the past, there are actually many graffiti arts performing today. It is increasingly accepted by people and is often used in popular culture. Some cities even provide legal barriers to encourage people to use them. This is an art that has nothing to do with legitimacy. Now, there are more and more topics about art. The more encouragement, the stronger the legitimacy. This is what society fears. If encouraged, its legitimacy will be higher. However, graffiti is always illegal because it is a part of the culture. Without illegal transactions, the Blazers will never develop it into the precious art that has become today. It has also become a part of culture because since society has refused to give graffiti artists prestige, they have tried to gain prestige among their peers by ‘standing up. If graffiti is fully accepted by society, then artists will get up through their skills in galleries instead of having the most tags in the city.

The carefully crafted graffiti works are creative, colorful, and rare. It turned boring buildings and plain walls into masterpieces, attracting the attention of others. Usually, this is positive because graffiti attracts tourists to visit the tried and tested masterpieces, indicating that this is not a crime. For example, Toronto’s ‘Graffiti Street’ is an alley about 1 km long, with graffiti art from head to toe. It attracted countless famous Toronto graffiti artists to create this masterpiece, and now the public can enjoy the painting for free. For example, in Melbourne, there are many graffiti walls, some of which have become famous places, and many tourists from all over the world come here to visit. Graffiti on the street has poured into high-end galleries. The Museum of Contemporary Art “organized an exhibition celebrating graffiti on subways and buses, which proved to be a very successful exhibition.” Although graffiti is still illegal, the work of graffiti artists is still commendable.

In short, graffiti is an art, because artists can express their feelings through art, which can inspire this generation of young people to use this new modern form, and the public can also use it. The museum expressed interest in graffiti exhibits throughout the city. If more people begin to accept that graffiti is an art rather than an act of destroying public property, then it may become a way to change a boring city and make it prosperous. This allows graffiti artists to be compared with the greatest artists in the world. A sentence from Raymond Harmon concludes: Art is an evolution.

Introduction

Graffiti is a true art form and allows people to express themselves in cumulative ways. One of the biggest questions in modern age is whether graffiti is considered vandalism. Graffiti artists use graffiti to address problems in their communities (send a message). Graffiti shouldn’t be considered vandalism because it allows youth in low income communities to have an opportunity to be known for. Graffiti is an art that allows individuals to express themselves , their talents and create jobs for artists who aren’t as mainstream. Most people argue that graffiti is vandalism because of the money it takes to cleanup, but graffiti is a truly a form of art.

Graffiti artists use graffiti to address problems in their communities (send a message). For example, ​Graffiti took a tow on New York areas when the city was headed to bankruptcy in the mid 70s. A lot of New Yorkers were left in fear and hopelessness which later led to graffiti as a way of protest to the federal government. This inspired many revolutionary artists such as Yazan Halwani who grew up in Beirut tagging walls then later became the voice of the public. His work was based on helping those less fortunate around his neighborhood. Angela Reichers mentions “The artist donated the proceeds from the sale of his Guinness World Record-holding “The Legend Of Bliss Street” was meant to call attention to the suffering of people living on the street.” as mentioned in “The Writing on the Wall”. This shows how passionate a graffiti artist is of their work and for a better future for their environment. They are an activist of peace, they protest with colors filled with hidden messages, instead of the typical violent protest we are used to seeing .

Should Graffiti be Protected?

​Nowadays, the youth have the luxury of social media to get the recognition they would need to start a career in the art field. Graffiti shouldn’t be considered vandalism because it allows youth in low income communities to have an opportunity to be known for. For instance, it took Lady Pink six years of expressing her talent in ways that were deemed illegal. In an interview with Lady Pink, she states that she “ would travel across New York late at night by Subway dressed as a boy… so that men didn’t mess with me.” It shows that it was a big deal to protect herself and still remain diligent. On the other hand, It took Banksy approximately five years to begin receiving attention in the right light. Not only were their careers dependent on not being reprimanded with legal consequences, but also the masses perceiving their art as art. But once the masses perceive it as art, it becomes a safe heaven and places that were once considered “vandalism” become landmarks.

Furthermore, graffiti is an art that allows individuals to express themselves , their talents and create jobs for artists who aren’t as mainstream. ​ In the article “ An Unselfish Act: Graffiti In Art Education”, Sentrock mentions how “ use it [graffiti art] as a platform to do things in life; don’t do things [such as vandalism or living illicit graffiti lifestyle] that will hold you back or condone you.” He wants us as a community to start using graffiti as an expression of art instead of the typical graffiti that is used for tagging or gang related. This way, graffiti creates a deeper meaning for itself. People can look at a wall and admire it’s beautiful structures while also understanding the artist’s meaning behind the art. We have to take a different approach in educating the youth the differences in graffiti and graffiti art. The style of graffiti is cherished among those who want to express themselves and their talents, but many of these people become discouraged knowing that graffiti can lead to trouble. By educating our youth, they become influenced into viewing the art aspect of graffiti.

The main concern of the opposing side is whether graffiti would be considered vandalism if done on one’s property. To eradicate this concern, Communities can be funded private areas for graffiti artists to express their art. This private area would significantly decrease the amount of graffiti on private properties. In addition schools can be funded to properly train a graffiti artist willing to comply with regulations. Critics say graffiti is a threat and indicator of violent communities, in conclusion, graffiti should be decriminalised, as it is a form of not only cultural expression, but art.

“Graffiti art”—is it truly an art form, or simply childish vandalism? This essay will explore the meaning of graffiti, a brief background history of the evolution in society, as well as the the different motives of artists who uses graffiti in spiritual and social practices. From the start, society has had a general distaste with graffiti, however, this form of expression has strong evidence to propose that it can be a catalyst for the everyday person. What does the future hold for graffiti?

When it comes to the physical aspects of graffiti, Gach states that each graffiti expresses a thought, wish, or attitude. The word graffiti comes from the Italian verb graffiare, meaning “to scratch.” Graffiti is described as by the Oxford Dictionary as an often overlooked form of communication consisting of writing or drawings made on a public surface, usually as a form of artistic expression, without permission and within public view. Through graffiti, the everyday person is able to communicate attitudes and feelings that would usually be suppressed due to societal pressures. Unlike spoken thoughts, graffiti provide safety from the rebuttal of different opinions, as well as having an indirect lasting-impression while simultaneously reaching a larger audience over-time. (Gach 285) Graffiti can be used an an obtrusive measure to reveal patterns of customs and attitudes of a society. (Stocker 356) However, as discussed in Social Analysis of Graffiti, the patterns are not specific to a general conscious consensus, rather the beliefs of certain individuals in that social climate. They concluded that graffiti collected did not reflect important social issues directly. (Collins 733)

Pin-pointing a direct period in time as to when graffiti started can be quite difficult as there are many various embodiments and of the art style. One of the earliest contested pieces is found at a UNESCO World Heritage site, Cueva de las Manos, Río Pinturas located in the caves of Santa Cruz, Argentina. This work is dated between 9,300 and 1,300 years ago, showcasing the stenciled outlines of human hands, which some speculate to be the hands of the communities of Patagonia. (UNESCO) On the other hand, this piece can be argued along the lines of a mural as it focuses on community rather than graffitic practices. This work is not a form of vandalism nor does it express an anonymous thought. Modern-day graffiti uses the anonymous expression as a form of communication. (Gach 285) The earliest form of graffiti that follows along the lines of modern-day practices is dated around Roman 200 A.D. and is simultaneously the earliest known depiction as well as pictorial representation of the crucification of Jesus Christ. The graffiti showcases a person praying to a crucified, donkey-headed figure with a translation stating “Alexamenos worships [his] god,” indicating mockery as Christinatnity was looked down upon in first-century Rome.

Yet, the adaptation of graffiti that most people have seen, the kind that uses arsonal paint cans, seems to have appeared in Philadelphia in the early 1960s, and the latter part of the decade, it had reached New York and has made history ever since. Darryl “Cornbread” McCray is considered to be the first modern graffiti artist. (Montana) As reported on by Montana Colors, rather than take part in the ever-growing drug and gang epidemic in Philadelphia, Cornbread took to the streets adding his unique signature to the public spaces he frequented. His work was raw, and simply himself, he did not have any specific style in mind. During this time the graffiti that took to the streets was simply gang names and symbols, none of it being a personal moniker such as “Cornbread”. His biggest rise to fame happened when a local newspaper mistakenly reported that he had passed. However, Cornbread, alive and well, stated “I knew it was up to me to bring my name back to life,” (Montana) and with this he snuck into the Philadelphia Zoo and pained “Cornbread lives” on both sides of an elephant. This in-turn led him to a jail sentence, but that did not phase a single soul in the graffiti scene, he was considered a legend. His motives during this time was to get his name everywhere and anywhere he could, higher traffic areas such as tourist areas were target rather than poorer neighborhoods. Due to the fact of looking for an outlet of expression in a drug-infested community, Cornbread was able to pioneer a huge movement for art in general, even outside of the confines of the graffiti world: raw expression.

After the insurgence of the new style and motives of graffiti, the United States was hit hard. Cornbread and other pioneers such as TAKI-183 was able to show the youth that the world truly is a canvas. For awhile, the youth owned the city, not the officials. In mid-1970’s New York each and every train car, inside and out, was completely drenched in personal tags all working with each other to make a spontaneous collaborative art piece. However, some people do not see graffiti as a communal art. Instead, clumping it as part of a crime called vandalism. With these polarities, graffiti became a political target. City officials decided to crack down on this issue considering it as part of the ever-growing urban issue, reluctant to focus the blame on the homeless and drug issues that were more apparent. They wanted to take control back of the city in the only way they could think of, focusing on the subway trains. However, the youth was not going to go down without a fight, for this was their only outlet. Protest graffiti was all over the city, using inscriptions to warn each other of hot spots. As such, the circumstances that prevailed allowed graffiti artists just started focusing on new, clean canvases all over the city. The retaliation of the city officials worked against their favor as it fostered new and bigger graffiti styles, such as the use of stencils and multiple color throw-ups. More elaborate pieces were popping up every morning, in the most obscure places. Artistic expression and style soon took over the motives of graffiti over legibility of the monikers. The war on graffiti was not won, and today the youth still holds power over the city. Sociologist Gregory Snyder reports in his book, Graffiti Lives: Beyond the Tag in New York’s Urban Underground, tagging allowed these young men and women the opportunity “to get fame and respect,” which in any other aspect of their life, were fleeting. In this sense, Snyder argues that “in its purest form, graffiti is an art form that revels in the American Dream.”

In The Guardian article, “Is Graffiti a Force for Good or Evil?” by Athlyn Cathcart-Keays, reader learn that some artists get positive attention for their graffiti, while others get penalized with fines and prison sentences for doing the same thing.

In 2008 there was a major public museum called “Tate Modern” which displayed graffiti and street art. Six international artist were invited to decorate the museum with enormous, eye-catching murals. Meanwhile, across town eight members of London’s well-known DPM crew had to cough up $1.3 million dollars in graffiti-related damages which also led to 11 years in prison.

There are double standards in the way graffiti is perceived, and the law creates pockets of permission for some artists while penalizing others.

Adam Cooper, cultural strategy officer in London, sees graffiti as a positive thing and he compares graffiti artists to buskers, which are people who perform on the subway or streets for their own good and for entertainment for others. He believes that graffiti deserves more space just like the buskers were provided. He mentions the recent success of preserving a skating park in London, and says that graffiti adds a “social communal value” to the city.

Graffiti can be seen a cultural experience that tourists can explore and see and this brings money to the local economy. Buenos Aires is an example of a city where people from all over come to see graffiti art that tells the story of the city’s history.

There are those who see graffiti as a petty crime and believes that it may lead to more serious crimes. However, there are other who appreciate the graffiti that is done because it brings the community together and potential route out of crime for inner-city kids.

From its roots as a method of communication for voteless youth to each hide and be seen, graffiti has developed into a valid variety, a legitimate force for economic, cultural and social smart and, as we tend to still shift towards more and modify urban environments, one amongst the few remaining ways that we’ve got to retort to our surroundings in Associate in Nursing communicatory, public way. “Good” v “bad”,Some may see graffiti as vandalism and people have been penalized for showing off their talent. As a human if you have talent then you should abuse it and show it off because it may inspire others or it can be a way for others to communicate with each other.

In the article “Arts, Outdoor enthusiasts infuriated by national park graffiti” by Los Angeles Times, adapted by Newsela staff we see that people find national parks a good place to express their artwork. People are infuriated about an artist named “Saraiva” who has done his graffiti work in a nat

Background:Andre Saariva is an artist known for painting a cartoon character called “Mr. A..” Recently a photo someone posted of a boulder he painted in California’s Joshua Tree National Park showed up on the website of Modern Hiker magazine. Since then, American nature lovers were infuriated with what he had done in the park.

A new generation of graffiti artists are painting out in the open on things in nature that are public property and this is making lovers of public nature very angry. Graffiti vandalism knowingly affects people and the public. The removal and anticipation of graffiti vandalism is very expensive to the public.In the article is says “Tens of millions of tax payer dollars are being spent annually on cleaning up graffiti and repairing the damage that it causes”(http://www.crimeprevention.nsw.gov.au/Pages/cpd/protectcommunity/graffitivandalism/graffitivandalism.aspx). Spending this public money on cleaning graffiti means that money is not being spent on things that can benefit the community.

*Most people may say graffiti is the only thing that they can do, and if it wasn’t for graffiti they would go into crime. In addition graffiti is another way to express ones feelings and a way to spread a message. Back to the it is the only thing that they can do, for some teenagers they aren’t good at their studies so they don’t really have a good future but graffiti is another way to earn money and get a viewer’s eye. Graffiti is an issue that generates widespread community concern. It impacts on state and territory governments, local government, police, public transport and utility providers, local communities and young people in a variety of ways. Although an issue of concern, there has been limited criminological research exploring the characteristics of graffiti offences and offenders and the impact that graffiti has on communities. This poses a challenge for policymakers and practitioners.

One of the city’s know graffiti artist generally perceived by the label Live Evil, has an astonishing and even confident supposition on the issue, as he guarantees the wall painting is an extraordinary thought and a positive development towards achieving their objective. He does, in any case, proceed to state that this activity plan has far to proceed to should be completed on an a lot bigger scale than a couple of dividers around the city. He guarantees ‘spray painting is the snappiest method for getting workmanship from your brain to the media’ and is doubtful that the wall paintings will be excessively far and few between to satisfy a similar impact, as owning the correct expression or making an incredible gem is to a great extent a matter of area. He has additionally voiced his worries with regards to the choice procedure and oversight of the workmanship on the wall painting, and is stressed his specialty will be ‘too watered down before it contacts the people’.Overall, he is satisfied to see the city is making a stride towards seeing spray painting in a constructive light and is eager to perceive how this turns out. Be it a disfigurement of open property or basically a helpful and expressive work of art, it is winding up progressively normal and obviously certain that rates including spray painting are on the ascent, and that its very nature will keep on changing later on.

It brings down property estimations and expands wrongdoing as indicated by a Neighborhood Voices composed by Tim H in the Imperial Oak Fix. The creator composed his piece on April 1, 2013 approaching city lobby to accomplish something. Intriguing is that right around two years sooner, June 2, 2011, Lynn Cobb composed a supposition piece about the equivalent. Open spray painting is a subject that has entered my thoughts regularly and offered ascend to numerous get-together discussions throughout the years. My present home is in a city where on the off chance that you stop too long somebody may label you with paint. Already I lived in a zero resilience for spray painting city. In heading out to various regions of this World my mind registers likenesses and contrasts where this open showcase of articulation exists and where it doesn’t.

Graffiti art is an uncommissioned urban art revolution by any sense of movement and cultural heritage and a radical contemporary art movement that artists used as a social expression of protest that illustrates ideas from an environmental perspective to convey political or social opinions. It involves the unauthorized spraying, painting or scratching of words and images on buildings, bridges, streets or any other surfaces usually in public places. It is regarded as a form of rebellious art form. It is an evolutionary art movement that arose in New York, Berlin or London, since the mid-1970s to 1980s, that is closely linked with hip-hop culture and the production of elaborately designed as an expression of discontent that associate their selves that often use specific symbols, signatures or ‘tags’ in their graffiti to adopt a particular style that connects an internal language within the culture interacting with the people to convey their relevant messages. Graffiti can be a springboard for the examination of personal identity, commercial design, social history, and community conflict. (Whitehead, J. L., 2015) Within the street art world, graffiti artists do not consider their art work to be defacing public or private property, but rather see it as bringing a voice to the disempowered (Howze, 2008), beauty to an unsightly locale, or developing one’s identity through a pseudonym (Othen, P., 2006). They seek to retain the exciting, outsider, rebellious spirit that originally helped define the graffiti art revolution throughout the years. As it was a “visual representation with a unique and holistic aesthetic” (Kan, 2001, p. 21). Graffiti art is an experiment in identity, working to develop a sense of “self” as the artist progresses artistically and developmentally to express their personal visions, values, and opinions on a daily basis on the streets as their explosive platform as a graffiti artist.

Graffiti art has historically been viewed as a form of vandalism, a curious enigma, and a menace to society. Graffiti art continue to slowly gain notoriety within the walls of famous galleries and museum spaces, yet still take a back seat to that of traditional, mainstream accepted art forms. Although it can be considered as an art, it happens that some of the graffiti artists willfully destruct or damage of a property that adds diminishes of one’s property value. To some particular viewers, they find any given piece of graffiti artistically irrelevant. The world of graffiti, Manco (2002), suggests that, “Graffiti art, as an idea, has always existed alongside other artist endeavors, the difference being that it is a mode of self-expression using methods that are seen as criminal, or outside the conventional art world, rather that specifically sanctioned or commissioned art” (p. 9). In our world today, graffiti artists receive negative public perception. Majority of the complaints are legality of work, diminishing public property, and the expense to remove their artworks.

Graffiti is not a type of vandalism that needs to be countered by artistic arguments. Rather, the people should focus on the evolution of the perception and acceptance of graffiti as a mainstream art form that come from established artistic concepts within our society. People tend to discriminate everything that they view as an inappropriate act but tend to not deeply think on what they discriminate instead of understanding an art. As most of the works expose socio expose socio-political issues and national identity. According to Christiane Della Paz, educating people through the use of visual display or designs in public is not a wrong doing. It is a different way of doing his or her role as an artist and prove to anyone how an art can affect or interact the viewers for them to showcase the appreciation of its beauty. Some artist creates graffiti to express their emotion and feelings in public. Only few can see and understand artworks inside the gallery or home while many can appreciate street art in public area. They like to share their styles, creations, feelings, and learnings to all their viewers. Graffiti artists are very much willing to appreciate public reactions and criticisms to learn and be recognized by others and widen people’s horizon in comprehending the beauty of this type of art genre. Graffiti art is self-aware and projecting its repressed issues in our world onto walls and vertical architecture providing a daily instruction manual for the visual codes and semiotic systems in which we live and move.

On a perspective of a graffiti artist, this form of art is an artistic process of establishing one’s sense of identity. Yet, this is even more so with graffiti than any other form of artistic practice because graffiti is a youth-based art form. Graffiti artists range in age from of 12 to 30, with the vast majority under the age of 18. Graffiti artists create their works during the period of their lives when they are establishing themselves as separate individuals seeking autonomy. By seeking of it, often through acts of rebellion, youth begin the process of establishing their own identity. It motives them artistically that discusses current events, addresses controversy and revolution, makes a statement about society as it speaks actions and illustrates an important discussion that needs to be known. It allows them visually stimulates their mind in the complex world. They view graffiti as a demanded change of our society as well as developing their selves as an artist in our community.

Many artists associated with the “urban art movement” don’t consider themselves “street” or “graffiti” artists, but as artists who consider the city their necessary working environment. It’s a community of practice with its own learned codes, rules, hierarchies of prestige, and means of communication. Graffiti art began as an underground, an archaic public visual surface, and has now become a major part of visual space in many cities and a recognized art movement crossing over into the museum and gallery system.

Graffiti artist express street art contests into two main regimes of visibility—legal and governmental on one side, and artworld or social aesthetic on the other—which creates the conditions within which it must compete for visibility. Graffiti art works against the regimes of government, law, and aesthetics as accepted, self-evident systems that normalize a common world by unconscious rules of visibility and recognition. In each regime, there are rules and codes for what can be made visible or perceptible, who has the legitimacy to be seen and heard where, and who can be rendered invisible as merely the background noise of urban life. Jacques Rancière has noted how politics is enacted by “the partition of the perceptible” (French, partage du sensible), how the regulation, division, or distribution of visibility itself distributes power: “Politics is first of all a way of framing, among sensory data, a specific sphere of experience. It is a partition of the sensible, of the visible and the sayable, which allows (or does not allow) some specific data to appear; which allows or does not allow some specific subjects to designate them and speak about them.” Advertising and commercial messaging space are made to appear as a guaranteed, normalized partition of the visible in the legal regime. Graffiti artists intuitively contest this rationing or apportioning out of visibility by intervening in a publically visible way. Graffiti art thus appears at the intersection of two regimes, two ways of distributing visibility—the governmental regime (politics, law, property) and the aesthetic regime (the artworld and the boundary maintenance between art and non-art).

By subverting the cultural wall system and championing the ephemeral act of art, graffiti art reveals internal contradictions and crises in the parallel universe of the artworld. In the institutional artworld, we only find unity in a consensual disunity about the state of contemporary art, the institutional response to popular visual culture, and the ongoing dissatisfaction. The aesthetic value of street and graffiti art is not always appreciated by the indiscriminate eye of mainstream society as it is often placed under the blanket categorization of vandalism. While some graffiti artists view their work as blatant acts of vandalism, not all of them do.

Street art reveals a new kind of attention to the phenomenology of the city, the experience of material spaces and places in daily life, and has re-introduced play and the gift in public exchange. Well-executed and well-placed graffiti art re-anchors us in the here and now, countering the forces of disappearance in the city as a frictionless commerce machine neutralizing time and presence and claiming all zones of visuality for itself. Graffiti art rematerializes the visual, an aesthetics of reappearance in an era of continual re-mediation and disappearance. It is an art form that doesn’t restrict any artistic expression, but rather creates a sense of pride and recognition not only within the subculture but also within the mainstream society. Graffiti art can be very varied and are closely related to different techniques used and the contexts within which graffiti is presented and interpreted. The line between ‘art’ and ‘vandalism’ in interpretations of illicit graffiti can be very thin and very much depends on the background and point of view of the spectator and on the context within which it is displayed. Through the eyes of every graffiti artist, their artworks enable people to think critically for their selves as they deeply engaged in constructing meaning by looking at every graffiti art, discussing or constructing it the underlying message on our world’s current issues.

I was sitting in one of my classes and noticed there was something on my desk. I looked at it while trying to figure out what it was and noticed it was a very bizarre-looking disco ball. It had me wondering how many other pictures could I find. I saw pictures drawn in permanent marker in the bathroom stalls and some things carved into the benches on the patio, presumably by a lead pencil. I get up from my seat and head to my next class, the day felt like forever and I was dreading the upcoming math test I had. As I was going home, I spot a stop sign that looked as though it had been continuously hit by something. Later on, in the week, I see an old building with broken windows.

At this point, I was genuinely curious about why people deface property that did not belong to them. Is it the desire to draw attention? boredom? is it driven by a political ideology or is it simply misguided playfulness? I sat down with my Starbucks Frappuccino and opened my laptop to do some research. As I clicked through many links I found one that seemed legitimate and —boom!—found myself intrigued. I read that vandalism of property can often result in immense financial losses, depending on what you deface of course. Damaging of property usually occurs At higher rates in urban areas like New York, this is because the individual can act anonymously.

Many acts of vandalism are misdemeanors, so maximum penalties may include fines and up to a year in the local jail, however, vandalism that leads to very serious damage to valuable property is a felony. Defendants charged with a felony can face more than a couple of years in state prison and face significant fines. You could report defacement of property to the police, but there is not much they can do considering there is not usually solid proof of who committed the heinous act.

A common type of vandalism you can expect to find is graffiti. Some simplistic, others filled with color, like a unicorn, threw up on it. You can see graffiti on the side of an ancient building, on the sidewalk, which is kinda weird, and even on some public trash cans. As I mentioned before, this is all mainly seen in urban areas. Around me, I don’t see much graffiti, but there is this one location that is absolutely filled with it. People go there to take an unnecessary amount of pictures and post them on Instagram. Honestly, I think it looks really cool. It is a seemingly abandoned-looking area, but it has been turned into something beautiful, as beautiful as a bunch of random squiggles can be. It’s like putting a glossy coat of sealer on a painting, it makes it look fresh and vivid. I don’t condone vandalism at all, but I’m saying if I had to be okay with one form of it, it would be graffiti. If you were to spray paint the tower bridge in London or the Hagia Sophia In Istanbul that’s a completely different story as those are historic pieces of architecture. However, if you really wanted to spray paint an old building that has been run down for over a century to the point where it looks like it’s going to collapse any second, go ahead as long as you are cautious enough to not get caught.

So, if you are feeling bold and daring enough to graffiti something, at least make it worth your while and do something interesting. Instead of doing the basic Superman logo try something unique. Some suggestions include A big purple star with Dr. Phil’s face on it, an armadillo wearing a cowboy hat, a sponge-bob playing the flute while in a Cadillac…you get the idea. Just don’t go around doing this at school or at your local museum.

Banksy is an anonymous street artist whose art is a highly controversial topic. Whether it is considered art or vandalism is the question within the street art community. Banksy was first inspired to create his own street art by the French graffiti artist, Blek Le Rat, who was one of the first to spray paint graffiti in Paris.

Banksy originally started off in a few small graffiti groups but eventually started creating his own work, starting small in his hometown, Bristol. He picked up the name “Banksy” to protect his identity and has stuck with it ever since. Most of his artworks use stencils, which are sheets of cardboard or plastic, with numerous letters and symbols, such as peace signs and silhouettes of people or animals, on them. This technique helps create his works faster and more precisely than free handing. He first thought of this idea when he had to flee from a piece he was working on to flee from the police. He found himself hiding under a garbage truck where he noticed some stenciled letters and, at that moment, he had the idea of using stencils for his future pieces.

A question that is asked a lot when it comes to street artists like Banksy is whether it is art or vandalism. To answer this question we have to understand the meanings of art, and vandalism. The google definition for art is as follows, “ 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”. The google definition for vandalism is, “Action involving deliberate destruction of or damage to public or private property”. So, when comparing those, there is a big difference between the two but which category does Banksy’s artwork fit into?

This is an artwork done by Banksy called “Slave Labour”. This artwork was brought into the public eye in North London, featuring a little boy who seems to be dirty and poorly dressed. This artwork shows this young boy using an antique sewing machine to make flags with the Union Jack on them. This piece is known to express the disapproval of child labor, and the Union Jack bunting also represents the disapproval of Jubilee celebrations and the creation of the Union Jacks. He used a stencil for this piece, painting in black and white to draw the audience’s attention to the flags, which are colored. I think this piece is classified as art, and not vandalism. If you go back to the definition of vandalism it states, “The destruction or damage to public or private property”. Even though Banksy did not have permission to paint this artwork in a public space, the quality and the message of the artwork, in my opinion, make this a lot less like vandalism and a lot more like art. This artwork is not destruction nor damage to property, it is a piece of art that highlights a serious social issue in a creative way.

This artwork was discovered by the public in Chinatown, Boston. I believe it represents today’s society and the public’s opinion towards others. Today society tells us to ‘follow our dreams but only if it approves of that dream and ‘be yourself’ but only if it’s the you that they want you to be. This artwork is a mockery of these modern societal views. This artwork also takes part in the political and economic environment as the man in the painting is portrayed to be a lower- middle-classed man who looks to be suffering from an economic crisis, which is shown through his unsatisfied expression.

I believe that Banksy is an artist and not a vandal. His artworks are made to spread awareness of serious global and local issues. He doesn’t spray paint buildings to damage property, he sprays paints them to reach the public eye through humor or aggravation. Clearly, Banksy has a strong social conscience in the way he shares his opinions on how society works and he clearly wants the public to be challenged by the views he introduces and expresses through his works.

Today is 2022, anyone living in a big city knows that graffiti is becoming more and more popular. For example, in downtown Melbourne, there are graffiti walls. But when it comes to graffiti themes, most of us will easily agree that this is a brand new art. However, the focus of the debate is usually whether the art of graffiti is legal. Some people think it is vandalism, others think it is a crime. Most people think that graffiti is a way for artists to express their emotions, which can attract the attention of contemporary people and be used by the public. A common objection is that graffiti is not art because it is vandalism and criminal behavior. Although this is indeed vandalism and criminality, these facts seem to have nothing to do with their artistic status. The mere fact that something is considered illegal or classified as vandalism does not seem to be enough to make something fall into the realm of art.

Artists view art as a form of self-expression. Art can show the artist’s feelings and also bring emotions to the audience. Usually, people regard art as a picture and use it as decoration, but there are many different ways to explain the beauty of art. Artists use different techniques to express their feelings. In painting, the most expressive form is color. Dark colors are used to express depression, sadness, depression, and more negative emotions. On the contrary, bright colors show joy, softness, joy, and a more positive feeling. Bridget Riley’s point of view is: “Finally, all paintings are about the relationship between color, shape, and line, whether abstract or figurative.” This relationship is positive because People may not know that graffiti can make artists express themselves in an unconventional way.

In 2011, Toronto Mayor Rob Ford launched the ‘Graffiti Elimination Operation’ to end all vandalism in Toronto. Ford believes that graffiti can damage the health, safety, and security of the community. Ford said: ‘This is not art, it’s garbage, it’s graffiti, it’s bullshit.’ In other words, Ford thinks that graffiti is not art. Ford disagrees that graffiti is considered art. Art is defined as the expression or application of human creativity and imagination. Graffiti is art. Most people agree that graffiti is an art. Artists can express their feelings, inspire young people today, and apply them to the public. Even if the strictest graffiti laws are implemented, it does not matter, because compared with the past, there are actually many graffiti arts performing today. It is increasingly accepted by people and is often used in popular culture. Some cities even provide legal barriers to encourage people to use them. This is an art that has nothing to do with legitimacy. Now, there are more and more topics about art. The more encouragement, the stronger the legitimacy. This is what society fears. If encouraged, its legitimacy will be higher. However, graffiti is always illegal because it is a part of the culture. Without illegal transactions, the Blazers will never develop it into the precious art that has become today. It has also become a part of culture because since society has refused to give graffiti artists prestige, they have tried to gain prestige among their peers by ‘standing up. If graffiti is fully accepted by society, then artists will get up through their skills in galleries instead of having the most tags in the city.

The carefully crafted graffiti works are creative, colorful, and rare. It turned boring buildings and plain walls into masterpieces, attracting the attention of others. Usually, this is positive because graffiti attracts tourists to visit the tried and tested masterpieces, indicating that this is not a crime. For example, Toronto’s ‘Graffiti Street’ is an alley about 1 km long, with graffiti art from head to toe. It attracted countless famous Toronto graffiti artists to create this masterpiece, and now the public can enjoy the painting for free. For example, in Melbourne, there are many graffiti walls, some of which have become famous places, and many tourists from all over the world come here to visit. Graffiti on the street has poured into high-end galleries. The Museum of Contemporary Art “organized an exhibition celebrating graffiti on subways and buses, which proved to be a very successful exhibition.” Although graffiti is still illegal, the work of graffiti artists is still commendable.

In short, graffiti is an art, because artists can express their feelings through art, which can inspire this generation of young people to use this new modern form, and the public can also use it. The museum expressed interest in graffiti exhibits throughout the city. If more people begin to accept that graffiti is an art rather than an act of destroying public property, then it may become a way to change a boring city and make it prosperous. This allows graffiti artists to be compared with the greatest artists in the world. A sentence from Raymond Harmon concludes: Art is an evolution.