Different Perspective on Graffiti

Despite having read numerous reading on describing and analyzing art and having written several museum reports and art-related essays, I’ve never encounter any reading or writing on what is arguably the relevant form of visual art to our world today. Perhaps this is the case due to how powerful institutions in our society (i.e. those involving public safety and the law) tend to view graffiti as vandalism with sinister motives towards the public. Admittedly, a few weeks ago I would’ve told you that while I see the artistry in graffiti, overall I see it as a negative thing. However, after the recent homework readings on the topic as well as the recent trip to Detroit, my opinion of it has transformed entirely. While there is graffiti that aims to merely vandalize, in general, the graffiti artists of our time seek to use their medium to create a public dialogue in the best way they can — through art. Because graffiti interrupts public spaces, it aggressively demands to be seen and thus affirms its place in society as a relevant, timely artform. Yes, graffiti is a questionable use of visual art, but if you think about it, every art movement was controversial in its historical context. During the trip, FEL3000ft referred to the current state of graffiti as a “Renaissance” — a brand new and revolutionary movement in the world of visual art. Hearing his perspective on graffiti, especially in Detroit, and seeing the beautiful murals throughout a city that would’ve otherwise been in ruins made me appreciate graffiti in a whole different light, and relate the struggles of street artists to those of others’ throughout art history.