Anonymity on the streets
Mia Smith, Staff Writer |
What is graffiti?
Train cars, old buildings, and public streets are all canvases for graffiti—defined as visual communication within the public eye, often without the property owner’s permission.
In short, graffiti is often practiced as illegal street art. Considering its eye-catching medium, graffiti has served as a tool for social and political influence. It frequently acts as a means of defiance against governmental systems.
Civil disobedience is a large part of graffiti culture. Social commentary acts as a platform for numerous marginalized groups to make their presence known in a political landscape that frequently overlooks them. In recent decades, graffiti and street art have assimilated into the mainstream art scene.
However, many people are questioning whether or not this medium belongs in the sanction of professional art at all. Dom Topilko, a local street artist and hip-hop enthusiast, believes that street art is a proper medium in the art world. The main question that Topilko brings up is: if street art loses its significance, what is classified as proper art?
For everyday people who want to contribute to the world of art, graffiti is one of the most accessible ways to do it.
“It’s a way of taking something human that has fallen apart and kind of breathing new life into it,” says Topilko. “Hip-hop as a culture is about expressing yourself individually and creatively.”
History of street art
The origins of the hip-hop movement can be traced back to the mid-1970s in the urban areas of New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Washington D.C. However, the origins of street art can be traced all the way back to the stone age. People used to leave handprints on walls to let people know that they were there.
“Considering where graffiti started, if you need permission it kind of defeats the purpose of it,” says Topilko.
‘Tagging,’ a common tool in the street art medium, is used to create immortality in a specific area by leaving a unique name, tag, or design to let people know you were there. This is usually how people begin their journey with graffiti and street art. The fleeting nature associated with street art is part of the appeal. The ability to be washed, diminished or overtaken at any point makes it even more powerful for people to see, knowing one day it may not be there anymore. It is a temporary protest.
In places that lacked money, art, or inspiration, graffiti planted its roots. The difference between street art and graffiti, though, is legalities. Murals, posters, and art installations are all classified as street art. However, when street art is done without permission, it is then called graffiti.
“No one is really asking to be seen, you kinda just put your things in spots and it is up to people walking past to appreciate it,” says Topilko.
The influence of Banksy
Banksy is a UK-based artist who is an inspiration to many street artists around the world. He has kept his identity hidden for the entirety of his career as an artist, which, in turn, adds to the mystery and anonymity of street art in general. On his website, he speaks about how he and his work are unavailable to be bought.
“Are you a company looking to license Banksy art for commercial use? Then you’ve come to the right place—you can’t,” states Banksy’s website.
But, Banksy’s influence over street art internationally, is another story. In an article written about his influence on the street art scene, Banksy’s success is based on his traditional graffiti values.
“Banksy has most certainly changed the world for the better, beyond the scope of art. From bringing pop-culture art to the forefront like Andy Warhol before him, while maintaining anonymity, he has remained loyal to his roots of ‘graffiti crew’ life, without ‘selling out’,” writes ArtWorks Advisory.
Topilko speaks highly of Banksy’s influence on the hip-hop scene. The young artist believes that although street art has become more popular, it still should continue to remain anonymous due to the traditional values of the medium. Graffiti will lose its significance and steer away from its roots if it begins to become less obscure and anonymous.
“There is more mainstream understanding now that graffiti can be something more than just deviant art,” says Topilko while speaking about Banksy.
Graffiti today
Through time, graffiti has grown to be less of a rebellion against political society and more of an art form in the individual expression on the street. Parallel to the nature of art itself being subjective, the satirical themes of graffiti are up to interpretation in their own way.
In the end, the question of whether graffiti is vandalism or art is and will continue to be unanswered. The concept is truly subjective on its own. Part of what makes graffiti so impactful is that it’s vandalism in nature. One could say that the societal impact of vandalism, and the conversations it provokes, are what makes it art.
