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110 Graffiti Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

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Graffiti has been a form of artistic expression for centuries, with roots dating back to ancient civilizations. Today, graffiti has evolved into a powerful medium for social commentary, political activism, and personal expression. Whether you love it or hate it, graffiti has become an integral part of urban culture.

If you're interested in exploring the world of graffiti through an essay, here are 110 topic ideas and examples that you can consider:

• The history of graffiti: From ancient cave paintings to modern street art
• The evolution of graffiti as an art form
• Graffiti as a form of protest and activism
• The legal and ethical implications of graffiti
• Graffiti and gentrification: How street art impacts urban development
• Graffiti and the digital age: How social media has changed the way we view street art
• The role of graffiti in hip-hop culture
• Graffiti as a tool for empowerment in marginalized communities
• The psychology of graffiti: Why do people vandalize public spaces?
• The impact of graffiti on property values and community perceptions
• The relationship between graffiti and gang culture
• Graffiti as a means of self-expression for youth
• The role of graffiti in shaping public spaces and urban landscapes
• The influence of graffiti on mainstream art and design
• The gender dynamics of graffiti: Why are there fewer female graffiti artists?
• Graffiti and censorship: How governments regulate street art
• Graffiti and tourism: How street art has become a tourist attraction
• The cultural significance of graffiti in different parts of the world
• Graffiti as a form of cultural resistance in authoritarian regimes
• The economic impact of graffiti on local businesses and property owners
• The environmental impact of graffiti and the use of eco-friendly materials
• Graffiti and social media: How Instagram and other platforms have popularized street art
• The role of graffiti in shaping youth subcultures and identities
• The connection between graffiti and hip-hop music
• The role of graffiti in preserving local history and heritage
• Graffiti as a form of therapy for individuals dealing with mental health issues
• The relationship between graffiti and skateboarding culture
• The impact of graffiti on public safety and crime rates
• The role of graffiti in promoting diversity and inclusion in urban spaces
• Graffiti as a form of storytelling and narrative art
• The connection between graffiti and fashion
• The role of graffiti in political movements and revolutions
• Graffiti and the concept of "art for art's sake"
• The role of graffiti in shaping public discourse and social change
• The intersection of graffiti and technology: How augmented reality is changing street art
• The role of graffiti in preserving endangered languages and cultures
• Graffiti and the concept of cultural appropriation
• Graffiti and the commodification of street art
• The impact of graffiti on mental health and well-being
• Graffiti and the concept of guerrilla art
• The role of graffiti in promoting environmental awareness and sustainability
• Graffiti as a form of resistance against corporate culture
• Graffiti and the concept of "tagging" as a form of personal branding
• The role of graffiti in promoting social justice and human rights
• Graffiti as a form of public art and community engagement
• The relationship between graffiti and architecture
• Graffiti and the concept of "vandalism" versus "art"
• The role of graffiti in promoting cultural exchange and dialogue
• Graffiti and the concept of "beautification" in urban spaces
• The impact of graffiti on public health and safety
• Graffiti and the concept of "street cred" in urban culture
• The role of graffiti in promoting diversity and multiculturalism
• Graffiti and the role of the artist in society
• The impact of graffiti on property values and real estate markets
• Graffiti and the concept of "collective memory" in urban spaces
• The role of graffiti in promoting social cohesion and community building
• Graffiti and the concept of "tagging" as a form of personal expression

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Home Essay Samples Art

Essay Samples on Graffiti

Expressive art: is graffiti art or vandalism.

 Throughout time graffiti has received both overwhelming support and intense backlash. Some view it as a form of expressive art while others consider it a complete destruction of property. However, despite the amount of differentiation, charisma and personality graffiti can bring into cities, it is...

• Visual Arts

Why Is Graffiti Are Not Vandalism

Why is graffiti art not vandalism? According to the Mural Arts Philadelphia website, the village’s first legitimate effort to eradicate graffiti started with the form of the Anti-Graffiti Network in the 1980s. Some people assay that its vandalism, and some assay that its artifice. Park...

Societal Views On Graffiti: Street Art Or Vandalism

When you think of graffiti what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Vandalism or street art? Most would say vandalism, but what makes the distinction between the two? The intention of the piece. There’s a difference between defiling the back of a building and...

Graffiti And Street Art As An Act Of Vandalism

It is difficult to apply a single definition to what is considered Art. Whether it can or should be defined has been constantly debated. “The definition of art is controversial in contemporary philosophy. Whether art can be defined has also been a matter of controversy....

Exit Through the Gift Shop: Popularising the Art of Graffiti

I believe that posting a form repeatedly is a form of artistic expression in the beginning. Once people relate it to something or make a meaning out of it, it might become a brand or a logo. Making the art is as equally as important...

• Exit Through The Gift Shop

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Analysis of the Concept of Street Art in Martin Irvine's Article: The Work On The Street: Street Art and Visual Culture

In the article, The Work On The Street: Street Art and Visual Culture, by Martin Irvine, he gives a better interpretation of the concept of street art, while distinguishing major aspects of visual culture. To start off, Irvine provides a definition of street art noting,...

Street Art in Modern Culture: Presenting Own Message to the Wide Audience

Street art is visual art created in public locations, usually unsanctioned artwork executed outside of the context of traditional art venues. Other terms for this type of art include 'independent public art', 'post-graffiti', and 'neo-graffiti', and is closely related with guerrilla art. Common forms and...

Reasons Why Graffiti Can't Be Considered a Form of Art

Graffiti has always been a issue of controversy in our society as there are endless debates happening all over the world whether or not it should be categorized as a form of art. Drawing, painting, printing, design, sculpture, printmaking and photography all encompass the category...

• Controversial Issue

Graffiti: A Form of Art or Crime

Graffiti is a highly controversial form of art which is considered illegal in several places, punishable by law whereas on the other hand some people term it as an innovative way of expressing creativity, freedom of speech and political awakening. This art indeed is a...

Graffiti Art in the Philippines: Reflection of Social Issues in the Philippines

In the Philippines, people are known to be artistic and creative in different aspects of life. Even at the earliest time, these characteristics were reflected in the different remnants of the existence of humankind. Angono Petroglyphs was known as one of the earliest artworks in...

• Philippines
• Social Problems

Jean-Michel Basquiat's Neo-Expressionism Art

Jean-Michel Basquiat is famously known as the gritty on the New York street became known from the 'Punk'. The street-smart graffiti artist has successively covered the international art gallery route starting his journey from the dark lane of downtown. In a small number of fast-paced...

• Jean-Michel Basquiat

Life and Artist Way of Jean-Michel Basquiat

A high school dropout, a panhandler, not a real person, but a legend. From sleeping on park benches, to becoming a featured artist of renowned art galleries, Jean Michel Basquiat managed to achieve more in his short, 8-year long career, than most artists do in...

Unique Art Style of Jean-Michel Basquiat

Jean Michel Basquiat was an American artist he also happened to be one of the top-selling American artists. Some of his paintings sold for prices of to $57.5 million and they were all unique and they had some way of portraying current issues. Jean is...

Graffiti: The Discussion on Whether It Is an Art or an Act of Vandalism

Graffiti, is it art? Or Vandalism? In most countries painting property without the property owner's permission is considered vandalism, which is a punishable crime, yet at the same time, many cities are put on the map because of their street art. These cities, like Buenos...

Vandalism and Vandalistic Photography in the Work of Martha Cooper and Jürgen Große

Google defines the act of vandalism as an “action involving deliberate destruction of or damage to public or private property.” Photography and its influencers have changed the idea of vandalistic photography over many years. This idea is vividly seen through, such artists as Martha Cooper,...

• Photography

Best topics on Graffiti

1. Expressive Art: Is Graffiti Art Or Vandalism

2. Why Is Graffiti Are Not Vandalism

3. Societal Views On Graffiti: Street Art Or Vandalism

4. Graffiti And Street Art As An Act Of Vandalism

5. Exit Through the Gift Shop: Popularising the Art of Graffiti

6. Analysis of the Concept of Street Art in Martin Irvine’s Article: The Work On The Street: Street Art and Visual Culture

7. Street Art in Modern Culture: Presenting Own Message to the Wide Audience

8. Reasons Why Graffiti Can’t Be Considered a Form of Art

9. Graffiti: A Form of Art or Crime

10. Graffiti Art in the Philippines: Reflection of Social Issues in the Philippines

11. Jean-Michel Basquiat’s Neo-Expressionism Art

12. Life and Artist Way of Jean-Michel Basquiat

13. Unique Art Style of Jean-Michel Basquiat

14. Graffiti: The Discussion on Whether It Is an Art or an Act of Vandalism

15. Vandalism and Vandalistic Photography in the Work of Martha Cooper and Jürgen Große

• Frida Kahlo
• Ansel Adams
• Art History
• Impressionism
• Interior Design
• Andy Warhol

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Spray-painted subway cars, tagged bridges, mural-covered walls – graffiti pops up boldly throughout our cities. And it turns out: it’s nothing new. Graffiti has been around for thousands of years. And across that span of time, it’s raised the same questions we debate now: Is it art? Is it vandalism? Kelly Wall describes the history of graffiti.

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Home / 2021 / September / The writing on the wall: exploring the cultural value of graffiti and street art

The writing on the wall: exploring the cultural value of graffiti and street art

Doctoral candidate’s research interprets graffiti’s deeper meaning among Latinx and Black urban subcultures in Los Angeles

September 14, 2021

By Allison Arteaga Soergel

Ismael Illescas grew up admiring the graffiti around his neighborhood in Los Angeles. He had migrated to the city with his mother and brother from Ecuador in the 1990s as part of a large Latin American diaspora. In his urban environment, he found himself surrounded by beautiful, cryptic messages. They were written on walls and scrawled daringly across billboards. Little by little, he began to understand the meanings behind some of these messages. And, eventually, he started writing back. 

Illescas became a graffiti writer himself, for a time. He has since given it up, but he never lost his initial sense of curiosity and admiration. In fact, now, as a doctoral candidate in Latin American and Latino Studies, his dissertation research has taken him back to Los Angeles, where he gathered insights from current and former graffiti writers about how their work connects with concepts of art, identity, culture, and space. 

For those who create it, graffiti is an expression of identity and an outlet for creativity, social connection, and achievement, according to Illescas’s research. Some of the most popular graffiti yards in Los Angeles are abandoned spaces in communities of color that neither the economy nor the city has been willing to invest in, he says. But graffiti allows Black and Latino young men to transform these areas into spaces of congregation and empowerment. 

“In a city where these youth are marginalised, ostracized, and invisibilized, graffiti is a way for them to become visible,” Illescas said. “They feel that the system is against them, and upward social mobility is limited for them, so putting their names up around the city is a way for them to achieve respect from their peers and assert their dignity, and that doesn’t come easily from other places and institutions in society.”

Graffiti also offers what Illescas calls an “illicit cartography,” meaning that it can be read like a cultural map of the city. Graffiti styles in East Los Angeles, for example, reflect Mexican-American artistic influence that began with Pachuco counterculture in the 1940s. Rich graffiti writing traditions emerged, including “placas,” or tags that list a writer’s stylized signature, and “barrio calligraphy,” which blends rolling scripts with Old English lettering. In the 1980s, those traditions then incorporated colorful, whimsical East Coast influences.

“The result is that Los Angeles has a really unique graffiti style,” Illescas said. “Although outsiders might not necessarily notice it, you can easily see the Mexican-American artistic influence in the aesthetics, and that has become associated with Latinx urban identities.”

Graffiti is a multiracial and multi-ethnic subculture, and Illescas says his research aims to recognize the specific contributions of Black and Latinx communities. He’s also critically examining the subculture’s hypermasculinity and how that may limit its transformative potential.  And he’s particularly interested in shedding light on how race may affect public perceptions of graffiti.

Depending on the context, graffiti can either be publicly admired as “street art”—and valued up to millions of dollars—or it can be criminalized at levels ranging up to felony charges and years of jail time. In Los Angeles, a city which many researchers consider to be highly racially segregated, Black and Latinx communities, like South Central Los Angeles and East Los Angeles, are the places where graffiti is most likely to be severely criminalized and lumped together with gang activity, Illescas says.

Meanwhile, Illescas says street art is more likely to be recognized as such within arts districts, where officially sanctioned “beautification” projects use public art to attract more business and new residents, which can contribute to gentrification issues. And some of the most famous street artists are actually white men, like Banksy or Shepard Fairey, who have each attained international recognition for the artistic value of their illegal works. 

“This is where systemic racism occurs,” Illescas said. “You have some people who are more prone to being criminalized and severely punished for a very similar act, and that punishment falls mainly on young Black and Latino men.”

For these reasons, Illescas has found that many graffiti writers of color have mixed feelings about the growing public appreciation for street art. 

“On the one hand, it’s a capitalistic appropriation of transgressive graffiti into commercialized street art,” Illescas said. “But it also ties into the efforts of graffiti writers who have been pushing for years to decriminalize their art and demonstrate its artistic and social value and the types of knowledge that it brings with it.”

Street art has, in fact, already brought opportunities for some veteran Black and Latino graffiti writers, who told Illescas they had recently been commissioned for their art or had found jobs as tour guides in arts districts. But each of these artists got their start creating illegal graffiti tags. Illescas believes that decriminalization will ultimately require transforming public appreciation of street art into a deeper understanding of the expressive value of other forms of graffiti. And he hopes his research might aid in that process.  

“The graffiti that we see up in the streets may seem like an insignificant tag or scribble to some people, but there’s a lot of meaning behind it,” he said. “There needs to be a recognition that graffiti is actually a visual representation of someone’s identity, and it’s also potentially their starting point to a very meaningful artistic career.” 

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Last modified: September 16, 2021 185.80.151.9

How Banksy’s Graffiti Art Has Been Received by Critics and Art Reporters Research Paper

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Introduction

Bibliography

Banksy the self styled British graffiti artist has produced works that have over the past few years been the subject of critical acclaim. His politically inspired artwork has gone ahead to attract millions of dollars at auctions and his pseudonymous character has made him a modern legend.

His work has attracted more attention from critics and art reporters than all other graffiti artists in history. Various articles and books have been written about his work and published all around the world. This essay seeks to illustrate some of the responses that Banksy’s work has received from critics and reporters alike. To this end, various articles will be analyzed and the opinions of the authors extracted.

Jonathan Jones hails Banksy as the artist of our time. He describes his following as cult like encompassing people from all walks of life ranging from millionaire bankers to young book buyers. From the way he carries out his work, Jones labels Banksy a guerilla conceptualist whose humor works effectively both in the streets and in galleries. He, however, sees Banksy’s humor as too one dimensional and dark-sided to last long in a museum gallery and attributes this to the fact that Banksy did not go to college.

In his review, Jones analyzes the features that make Banksy’s work appeal to a wide audience. First is the fact that Banksy is talented and not merely someone who got into the trade as a matter of necessity. His stencil method also makes his work clearly distinct from the works of other graffiti artists and he is able to work on a variety of themes. In the same article, the critic also attributes Banksy’s success to the fact that he is a comic artist as compared to fellow graffiti artists most of whom happen to be tragedists.

According to Jones, the use of humor in Banksy’s work has helped catapult him to the level of a modern day radical with an impressive following by people who are against the state. While analyzing Banksy’s work, he compares it with the work of Cartrain. He claims that Banksy’s work has a certain level of insincerity that can be mistaken for sophistication unlike Cartrain who spends time to give his work meaning. He (Jones) thinks that Banksy does not put much thought into his work and just speaks out his mind on impulse to the extent that his work loses the darkness associated with the underground culture.

Banksy’s work is seen by Jones to be mild with a welcoming familiarity. Jones also claims that the conservationist style used by Banksy is a display of laziness and that his work does not deserve the incredible attention it has been receiving from the public. In concluding the review, the critic denounces Banksy’s creations as works of art and generally sees the rise of Banksy as the fall of art.

Joanne Phillips in her article What we can learn from Banksy describes Banksy’s work as witty. She sees this in how he uses opportunities that present in the form of the physicality of a site. For instance, she supports her claim “that the idea behind making good work is in composition” by explaining how Banksy used a fire extinguisher filled with paint to create a commentary on the wall of a modernist building. She goes ahead to claim that Banksy’s graffiti artwork makes an uninspiring place interesting.

According to Joanne, it is easy for a viewer to decipher the underlying meaning in Banksy’s work. She cites his ‘Rats’ sequence and proceeds to explain the symbolism behind the art work. Joanne sees Banksy and other graffiti artists as individuals who are committed to speaking on behalf of the voiceless public. “The graffiti writer aims to claim some space to give voice to those who they would see as the disenfranchised.” She sees the work of graffiti artists such as Banksy as being a direct response from the public to oppression coming from the system. She gives an example of his piece titled ‘Boring’ and describes it as Banksy’s review of the building on which it is painted.

Joanne sees this as an impressive interaction of written text and landscape text resulting in a clear representation of the artist’s opinion. She regards Banksy’s artwork as one that communicates the opinion of the oppressed masses. Citing the rats that Banksy uses in most of his work, Joanne explains how this is definitely the representation of a social underclass.

Katherine Satorius sees the message behind Banksy’s artwork as very incisive but at the same time expressionless. She describes the function of Banksy’s work as brilliant and that it provides city inhabitants with an alternative to conventional artwork. She proceeds to detail his Los Angeles exhibition and according to her, the paintings could have had more impact in their original location; on billboards and walls.

She suggests that Banksy’s paintings have power on location and generally tend to lose their appeal when transferred onto canvas. She also reviews the artist’s character and points out the weaknesses that come with Banksy’s insistence on anonymity. She only sees this as a way to avoid artistic responsibility and concludes that this will only limit his success and keep him always trying to defend himself. She however sees Banksy as a success in the sense that he has managed to pit himself against the conventional art world and somehow managed to come out on top.

She also has no issue with Banksy selling his artwork to the very people it was created to satirize because she believes that even artists deserve to earn a decent living. Towards the end of the article, Katherine highlights how Banksy’s anonymity comes back to haunt him when one of his admirers sneaks into one of his exhibitions and displays an antiestablishment painting in the midst of Banksy’s paintings.

Hellen Weaver in her review sees the strength of Banksy’s artwork as laying in the fact that he portrays his messages in a way that would easily be understandable to an average individual. This strength is constant whether the paintings are on a wall in the street or are installations in a museum environment. She also describes most of Banksy’s work as drawing inspiration from the political arena.

She supports this conclusion by citing the optical illusion that Banksy created on the Palestinian side of the Israel separation wall in West Bank alongside the life sized sculpture he planted in a Disneyland ride. She also declares his inspiration as “anti-war, anti-capitalist and anti-establishment obsessions.”

Brian Sewell is probably the most radical and the harshest of Banksy critics. He is on record having said that Banksy should have been gotten rid off at birth. He is against the policy by the Bristol City council to retain some of Banksy’s graffiti work when some were taken down and regards the popularity of Banksy as a loss of standards in the art world. He regards him as a clown who has nothing to do with art and believes that the public has been coerced into appreciating his graffiti work through his anonymity antics.

Charlie Booker joins the likes of Brian Sewell and Jonathan Jones in dismissing Banksy’s work as rubbish. He describes Banksy’s work as ‘imbecilic daublings,’ and regards his efforts as an easy way to get famous. He cites the way Banksy prominently signs off his work and claims that the only message that the artist wants to convey is that he is the one responsible for the ‘vandalism.’

Aside from offering criticism on the artists work, Booker also goes ahead to dismiss Banksy’s character describing him as a show-off. He picks statements from Banksy’s website and uses them to support his argument that Banksy is embarrassing, tenuous and pseudo-subversive. Booker also has an issue with the social meaning that Banksy tries to attach to his work. He cites the painted elephant terming it as a useless display in the sense that it does not address a particular issue.

Adam Barnard in his article T he anger management is not working declares Banksy a situationist. He sees is work as capitalizing on the absolute lack of enlightening politics in the United Kingdom. He describes Banksy’s graffiti on city walls as beautifying and at the same time providing for critical inspiration. To him (Barnard), Banksy’s work adds color to both physical and political landscapes. He claims that Banksy’s stencils are more exciting art experiences to common citizens than the estranged experiences of London’s new art institution.

He sees Banksy’s work as a satiric criticism of figures in authority and applauds him for opening the way for contemporary artists through abolition and realization. He sees this artwork as following on the works of Duchamp and James Reid. Barnard like other art reporters and critics is optimistic that more Banksy art work is on the way.

According to James Gaddy, Banksy is the most recognized street artist alive and he even proclaims him a mythic hero. He agrees that Banksy’s early work displayed great talent both in drawing and stencil cutting. He, however, feels disappointed by Banksy’s move to sell his artwork to the same people he has spent his life criticizing and hopes that the money made from the Los Angeles exhibition goes into more street art. Gaddy sees the move as Banksy arriving at a point of irresolution, where he finds it hard to decide whether to continue the thought provoking street art or to create the commercial artwork that fetches him impressive money.

He concludes that Banksy’s move to the galleries greatly reduces the influence of his work as compared to the power it has on the streets. He also sees Banksy’s career on the street coming to an end as his artwork continues to appreciate in value and his growing fame making it hard for him to pull off more street work. He (Gaddy) looks forward to Banksy’s new work and like most people does not mind the anticipation of finding out where he will strike next.

Miranda Sawyer describes Banksy’s work as antiestablishment in the sense that he criticizes many contemporary icons. She sees his work as a more direct form of expression as compared to fine art. She considers his work as an approach used by his generation to communicate their deep seated feelings. She describes his exhibition at the Bristol City Museum as a celebration of the ‘stuffiness of the institution’ while at the same time teasing it.

In the book Pauline Frommer’s London , Banksy’s work has been described as an attack on corporate greed and government surveillance. His work is also portrayed as a way of venting anger against war. Cochra and Frommer admit that Banksy is not a superhero and they claim that he gets the inspiration for his work in the same way that a political cartoonist does. According to the authors, Banksy’s work has received so much acclaim that many people would not want to prosecute him for vandalism but would instead want to shake his hand and congratulate him for the messages he passes across.

Louise Amoore and Marieke de Goede have published a risk and war on terror in which Banksy’s work is described as an interruption of traditional urban or art places. The authors go ahead to cite his introduction of a hooded inflatable Guantanamo detainee in Disneyland as a political operation. This act, they claim is viewed as an illustration of what society can turn to if culture is always presented without factoring in the aspect of politics.

This essay has studied and analyzed various written works by both art critics and art reporters on the graffiti art of Banksy. The varied opinions by the said groups of people regarding the impact of the artist’s work and sometimes the artist himself have been reviewed in the paper. A number of issues have arisen from the discussion above including:

• Whether Banksy’s stencil works should be referred to as art or are they simply acts of vandalism.
• Whether the pseudonymous character that Banksy has tried to maintain for such a long time is serving him justice.
• Whether the newly acquired celebrity status and money will affect Banksy’s street art career.

In their arguments and criticism of the work however, the individuals included in the report have come to a few agreements regarding Banksy’s work. These include:

• Banksy is a modern day phenomena judging from the number of people that attend his exhibitions and the incredible figures that his art-work fetches.
• Banksy’s work is generally inspired by politics and that his art tends to support the message of the greater populace which is under oppression by the ruling class.

In conclusion, it is worth noting that Banksy has come a long way from the days he started as a common street vandal to an artist with a cult following. His impeccable skills and daring antics accompanied by his anonymity have transformed him into a modern day Houdini. As an artist, his work will continue to receive criticism from all sectors of society and will continue to do so in the foreseeable future if he continues to do more daring street-work and manages to evade the authorities.

Amoore, Louise and Marieke de Goede, Risk and war on terror . London: Routledge, 2008.

Barnard, Adam. “The anger management is not working.” Capital and Class, 2004.

Brooker Charlie. “Supposing … Subversive genius Banksy is actually rubbish.” The Guardian , 2006.

Cochra, James and Pauline Frommer, Pauline Frommer’s London . Chichester: Wiley, John & Sons, Incorporated, 2007.

Gaddy, James. “Nowhere man.” Print Mag , 2007.

Jones, Jonathan. “Best of British?.” The Guardian , 2007.

“ Newsmaker: Banksy .” CNN. 2007. Web.

Phillips, Joanne. “What can we learn from Banksy.” Green places , 2009.

Satorius, Katherine. “Viewpoint.” Artweek , 2007.

Sawyer, Miranda. “In pictures: Bansky versus Bristol City Museum.” The Guardian , 2009.

Weaver, Hellen. “Banksy: Bristol city museum and gallery.” Art American Magazine, 2009.

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IvyPanda. (2018, June 28). How Banksy’s Graffiti Art Has Been Received by Critics and Art Reporters. https://ivypanda.com/essays/how-banksys-graffiti-art-has-been-received-by-critics-and-art-reporters/

"How Banksy’s Graffiti Art Has Been Received by Critics and Art Reporters." IvyPanda , 28 June 2018, ivypanda.com/essays/how-banksys-graffiti-art-has-been-received-by-critics-and-art-reporters/.

IvyPanda . (2018) 'How Banksy’s Graffiti Art Has Been Received by Critics and Art Reporters'. 28 June.

IvyPanda . 2018. "How Banksy’s Graffiti Art Has Been Received by Critics and Art Reporters." June 28, 2018. https://ivypanda.com/essays/how-banksys-graffiti-art-has-been-received-by-critics-and-art-reporters/.

1. IvyPanda . "How Banksy’s Graffiti Art Has Been Received by Critics and Art Reporters." June 28, 2018. https://ivypanda.com/essays/how-banksys-graffiti-art-has-been-received-by-critics-and-art-reporters/.

IvyPanda . "How Banksy’s Graffiti Art Has Been Received by Critics and Art Reporters." June 28, 2018. https://ivypanda.com/essays/how-banksys-graffiti-art-has-been-received-by-critics-and-art-reporters/.

Graffiti and street art can be controversial, but can also be a medium for voices of social change, protest, or expressions of community desire. What, how, and where are examples of graffiti as a positive force in communities?

Pauline bullen, harare.  paul downton, melbourne.  emilio fantin, milan.  ganzeer, los angeles.  germán gomez, bogotá.  sidd joag, new york city.  patrick m. lydon, daejeon.  david maddox, new york.  patrice milillo, los angeles.  laura shillington, montreal.  23 march 2016.

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About the Writer: David Maddox

David loves urban spaces and nature. He loves creativity and collaboration. He loves theatre and music. In his life and work he has practiced in all of these as, in various moments, a scientist, a climate change researcher, a land steward, an ecological practitioner, composer, a playwright, a musician, an actor, and a theatre director.

Introduction

Graffiti and street art can be controversial. But it can also be a medium for voices of social change, protest, or expressions of community desire. What, how, and where are examples of graffiti as a positive force in communities?

Interest in these art forms as social expression is broad, and the work itself takes many shapes—from simple tags of identity, to scrawled expressions of protest and politics, to complex and beautiful scenes that virtually everyone would say are “art”, despite their sometimes rough locations. What are examples of graffiti as beneficial influences in communities, as propellants of expression and dialog? Where are they? How can they be nurtured? Can they be nurtured without undermining their essentially outsider qualities?

About the Writer: Pauline Bullen

Pauline E. Bullen, PhD, currently teaches in the Sociology and Women and Gender Development Studies Department at the Women’s University in Africa, Harare, Zimbabwe.

Pauline Bullen

In Zimbabwe, graffiti images often appear in stark contrast to abject poverty or gross excess and may surface unexpectedly on the side of government buildings; on university campuses; and on walls along parks, highways, dilapidated houses, or dead-end streets. The more entrepreneurial may put graffiti images on clothing, bags, and decorative boxes that speak to an alternative and uniquely creative youth culture. For many who want to surround themselves with art that makes them feel good, the work of the graffiti artist may be too bold or too provocative. The work may also be seen as too stark, too crude, and unfinished in its attempt to bridge the gap between that which may be viewed as “less than” and the broader society; yet, it is precisely these elements that make the work dynamic and “real”.

Zimbabwe’s history of colonization informs what appears on the walls ‘tagged’ by young artists. The remains of early humans, dating back 500,000 years, have been discovered in present-day Zimbabwe and it has been possible to speculate about these people’s everyday lives and traditions from their hieroglyphic “tags” on walls in and on the outside of caves in various parts of the countryside. These early “stencil” drawings provide some insight into the lives of the people who lived outside the city and those who dominated the pre-colonial countryside—the Bantu, Shona, Nguni, Zulu, and Ndebele. Today, in a somewhat more “integrated” manner, Zimbabwean graffiti artists portray the oppressive conditions in the concrete jungle of high density areas, the conspicuous consumption and opulence of the more affluent sectors of Zimbabwean society, which is segregated still according to colour and class, though less overtly and with less of the racist economic divide that ruled Rhodesia.

Unemployed and sporadically employed “youth” in their teens and thirties may find inspiration in a spray can, a wall on a deserted street, a few yards of material, an empty carton transformed into a curio box, a bag, or even a pair of old shoes. The surface potential appears vast, particularly since the tools required for the craft are more accessible and cheaper than those needed for charcoal drawings or works produced on canvas. Sanctions imposed on the country have made many of the tools needed for other art forms luxury items that few could procure or afford. However, erasers, markers—especially concentrated but fluid watercolours to fill backgrounds and letters—are more accessible and easy to use on cheap canvases such as city walls.

Inks, inexpensive household paint, paint brushes, paper towels, makeup sponges, pieces of fabric, fingers—all are great blending tools that may be used to create larger-than-life tags, bubble letters, arrows, crowns, 3-D shapes in black and white and full colour, exclamation marks, boldly defined lines, and various other symbols of an enlarged, politicized, moral imagination and critical capacity. This moral imagination and critical capacity challenges what may be viewed as a technically trained, warped, market-determined political agenda that feeds a market-driven docility.

There is a certain sense of ownership and belonging that may be gained from being able to place one’s ‘tag’, unsolicited or solicited, on a wall or on personal items in ways that force others to acknowledge and recognize your existence. There may even be a greater sense of satisfaction in having ones graffiti viewed as an authentic art form through which it is possible to gain economic independence and “legitimacy”—an art form that allows for the demonstration of a unique sensibility and, according to one Zimbabwean artist who embraces the Jamaican Rastafari religion and language, an “overstanding” of their cultural reality. However, as a rebellious act, a tool of resistance, and ammunition against corporate greed and political perversion, economic gain through independence and freedom of expression remains difficult for the graffiti artist to attain.

About the Writer: Paul Downton

Writer, architect, urban evolutionary, founding convener of Urban Ecology Australia and a recognised ‘ecocity pioneer’. Paul has championed ecological cities for years but has become disenchanted with how such a beautiful concept can be perverted and misinterpreted – ‘Neom' anyone? Paul is nevertheless working on an artistic/publishing project with the working title ‘The Wild Cities’ coming soon to a crowd-funding site near you!

Paul Downton

From here to eternity, or from free to commodity?

Graffiti is ephemeral, but can resonate long after being cleaned from the streets.

At the celebrations for the new millennium, Sydney Harbour Bridge was lit up with the word “Eternity”—all because of graffiti chalked in yellow on the streets of Sydney by one lone graffitist. Starting in 1932, by 1967 Arthur Stace had chalked out his one-word message half a million times and entered the realm of legend. “Eternity” was here to stay.

“Worthless” graffiti can become a commodity, its value transformed by a simple shift in view.

Graffiti highlights one of society’s contradictions when protest is transmuted into product and neutered. Che Guevara tee-shirts, anyone? Capitalism’s ability to assimilate ideas that threaten it is unsurpassed. “Buying off” trouble is less disruptive than opposing it. Graffiti that is sanctioned by authority loses its outlaw power to disturb and challenge. When a city provides graffiti walls for its citizens, isn’t it simply extending its hegemony?

When I found stencilled graffiti in my neighbourhood and discovered that it was disguised corporate advertising, I dismissed it as worthless. If the same stencil had been about an idea rather than a product, I would have thought differently.

Banksy practices “protest graffiti” as high art. His work can carry multi-thousand dollar price tags. In 2007, his canvas, “Bombing Middle England”, fetched £102,000 at Sotheby’s. He trades on his anonymity and notoriety, and the commodification of his work, even its placement in galleries, legitimises it within the society that he is criticising—but as provocation or product, it’s hard to gainsay its power.

Graffitist Peter Drew is certain that street art will maintain its authenticity “because there’s always going to be an illegal aspect to it…It’s a conflict between two great principles of Western democracy—the sanctity of private property and freedom of expression”. But these principles are not universal.

In the street, claims Drew, art acquires “an anti-institutional sense”. But institutions also love it, and Drew, like Banksy, has been exhibited in galleries.

Street art that is sanctioned as a way to ameliorate dull façades is effectively assimilated as city property; it can no longer be about the conflict of ownership. It may critique the city’s aesthetics, but the city becomes as much the critic as the artist. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. It’s about moving on, changing the guard.

Adelaide’s previous Lord Mayor, Stephen Yarwood, saw street art as a game-changer for the 21st century city, consigning blank walls to the past. He assisted approvals and helped legalise the work of Drew and others, saying “Art isn’t just for art galleries… Cities are the best art galleries you could possibly have”.

But when the system tries these sorts of changes, the momentum of the past crashes into the present. When six street artists legitimately painted large murals on the sidewalk of Adelaide’s busiest cultural hotspots “ after months of negotiations, application forms and a day’s painting, the artists had their murals destroyed less than 12 hours after they were completed by the same council that had approved and paid for them. Why? Because the council simply failed to tell the workers who clean the streets that the murals weren’t graffiti”.

There was no such confusion in 1968, when the poetry of “Sous les pavés, la plage” exhorted the citizens of Paris to embrace revolution…

And in the Paris of 2016, the unsolicited application of paint has new ways to extend its reach.

About the Writer: Emilio Fantin

Emilio Fantin is an artist working in Italy on multidisciplinary research. He teaches at the Politecnico, Architecture, University of Milan, and acts as coordinator of the “Osservatorio Public Art”.

Emilio Fantin

I am interested in the ambiguity of the concept of property. “Street-writers” or graffiti artists seem to want to abolish the idea of property (symbolized by buildings) by using buildings as tools of expression. The struggle against the principle of property is directly associated with the expression of freedom, especially for those graffiti works or phrases that denounce abuses of power and discrimination.

However, we should make a distinction between graffiti works that have political, philosophical, and poetical meanings and those which are themselves quite simply the manifestation of an abuse of power. Frustration and alienation can be transformed into an instrument of social and political demands or into aggressiveness for its own sake. The latter is a paradoxical form of property, through which abuse of free will can harm others—not only the owner of the building, but the entire community, because something coercive and ugly becomes a part of the landscape and compromises aesthetic sense.

However, we ask: Who decides on the true and right aesthetic sense? In order to judge this, I believe, one must consider the ethical principle, Aesthetics↔Ethics. In other words, quoting Heraclitus: Invisible Harmony is Better Than Visible . This “harmony” comes from understanding and accepting both forms of love: young people claim their need of truth through their aesthetic expressions, adults care about urban qualities which nourish communities’ ritual forms (or, more rarely, vice versa).

I investigated these and other topics by practicing the technique of “Strappo”. “Strappo” is a fresco restoration technique consisting of gluing canvas to the surface of the fresco and then, by pulling, removing a thin layer of the plaster with the image. It is a restoration technique adopted to save frescoes from deterioration due to mildew and water infiltrations into the wall. Years ago, I learned how to perform “Strappo”, using the technique not for fresco restoration, but for my own artistic work. At that time, graffiti and street-art were quite different from today. Sentences or phrases on the walls focused on local political problems rather than great universal issues, such as the environment, nature, pollution, or immigration. Street writers were still far away from the idea of “tags”, and the street art community was at its very beginning. Their desire to claim a space for expression within an urban context was compelling, but their gathering through an esoteric language came later.

At the end of the 1980s, I travelled in Italy and around Europe looking for walls. During my trips, I found sentences about politics, love, and sport, small colored drawings and political symbols. I collected many examples of “mural art expressions” from public and private walls, including the Berlin Wall, the University of Bologna, refuges or mountain lodges, and abandoned buildings. I thought that this art could be considered as a form of collective expression, a form of meta-art. The aesthetic is determined not only by the people who produce the work (who are, by the way, anonymous), but also by other causes (even atmospheric), time, and chance. As an artist, I need to highlight this aspect and show how meaningful collective thinking and the idea of a meta-aesthetics can be.

There are various aspects that we might tackle by talking about “Strappo” work in the urban context. If it is true that one appropriates something that somebody else made, it is also true that one preserves something that sooner or later will be erased—not one of those painted walls from which I made a small “strappo” still exists. Of course, we can photograph and document various forms of artistic mural expressions, but the fact of presenting a portion of wall in its material consistency was a provocation made in order to debate the principles of individual creation, property, collective practices, and social thinking.

About the Writer: Ganzeer

Ganzeer is the pseudonym of an Egyptian artist who has been operating mainly between graphic design and contemporary art since 2007. He refers to his practice as Concept Pop.

I saw firsthand in Egypt how street-art played a direct role in some of the political changes between the years of 2011-2013. There was street-art that criticized Egypt’s military apparatus so poignantly that people went out and actively chanted against the head of Egypt’s Supreme Council of the Armed Forces. This was simply unheard of. I also saw a wall of murals commemorating fallen protesters turn into a shrine, where people would come place flowers and look at portraits of their friends and loved ones. I saw murals that were even the cause of huge clashes. Egyptian artists really knew how to utilize the power of street-art, which is precisely why the Egyptian government introduced and heavily enforced anti-vandalism laws akin to the ones established in America.

Street-art festivals, the method through which cities offer a legal venue for artistic expression are great, but I find that they seldom result in genuine social expression rather than works that are, for the most part, decorative. There are a few exceptions to the rule, such as the works of Blu, and recently Herakut, and sometimes Os Gemeos, but for the most part, artists tend to treat these festivals as an opportunity to showcase their signature styles or to try out new techniques rather than an opportunity to say something relevant.

While I wouldn’t necessarily blame this on the festivals themselves, and it has a lot more to do with the individual artists involved, the truth is that organizers of these sort of festivals are primarily interested in a particular street-art culture that celebrates style more than anything else. Uncurated and unsupervised spaces of visual expression are vital for the emergence of socially conscious artwork outside of the rather closed off subculture of street-art.

Graffiti as a symptom or cause of urban decay is a very Western phenomenon due to the art form’s early associations with gang culture. For the rest of the world—which is actually the vast majority—both graffiti and street-art tend to be utilized as modes of social expression. Seldom will you find practitioners obsessed with their tags or with drawing cool looking images that don’t necessarily mean anything. As opposed to what is common in the U.S., a person’s drive to go and write or draw something on a wall has very little to do with ego or self gain, and far more to do with the need to go out and express a social concern or a political criticism. Of course, this does not take away from the controversy associated with graffiti and street-art, but adds to it.

About the Writer: Germán Gomez

Germán Eliecer Gomez is a sociologist with expertise in communication and on issues related to urban cultural practices, especially of young people in expressions such as graffiti, football and bars.

Germán Gómez

Graffiti—the arbitrariness of the “beautiful”

The Mayor of Bogotá, by order of a judge of the Republic of Colombia, regulated graffiti through a legal act, Decree 75, which established places where graffiti was prohibited or allowed by law. On this basis, the Mayor took actions to promote graffiti and provide the general public with information about graffiti and the decree.

In fact, the practice of graffiti in Bogotá has grown considerably, regardless of its regulation. It can be seen on the walls of houses, on the doors of commercial establishments, on the great walls of entire buildings, in parks, bus stops, on buses, and generally in almost any area of ​​the city. Such graffiti—including street art, graffiti of young people following football clubs, writing of hip hop culture, art murals, political graffiti—has many stories to tell, including signatures or tags.

Decree 75 of 2013 regulates the legality of graffiti, regardless of its aesthetic quality, emphasizing the process that defines the permissions of the owners of the places where graffiti is made. That is, no matter how ugly or beautiful, it is critical to have the permission of the owner of the property before graffiti is created. The decree has generated some public acceptance of certain types of graffiti while others remain less popular. For example, street art and murals are “accepted” as “beautifying” the city. Other graffiti is less accepted, such as football related graffiti, political messages, and, especially, tagging. There are several surveys indicating improving public opinion of graffiti. An opinion poll, conducted by the City of Bogotá in 2014, found that only 38 percent of the population recognized the value of artistic graffiti in improving the city. But in 2015, a poll by the Bienal de Culturas found that 67 percent believed that artistic graffiti improves the city.

The patterns and their difficulty, the techniques, the explosion of colors and tones in the image, for example, are all components of graffiti writing. The way in which images and messages are drawn and encrypted are not easily understood and may transcend the general concept of “ugly”. In turn, a large and composite “image” composed of many tags—for example, Caracas Avenue, with hundreds of tags in one block—mixed with outdoor advertising, is an aesthetic delight from a contemporary perspective. Writing on the walls of the city generates phenomena of interpretation, not only in the field of semiotics, but also in simple enjoyment and aesthetic interpretation. However, some associate graffiti with perceptions of insecurity, invoking theories such as “broken windows” and justifying cleaning graffiti, which, from such perspectives, is “ugly”.

About the Writer: Sidd Joag

Sidd Joag is a New York-based visual artist, community organizer, and journalist.

During the late hours of November 18, 2013, property developer Jerry Wolkoff, of G&M Realty, whitewashed the Institute of Higher Burning, also known as 5Pointz, in Long Island City, Queens. This, just 3 days after a rally to protect the beloved international landmark from demolition, and mass outrage at the plan to build a condominium complex on site. A year later, all that was left in the wake of its destruction was flattened rubble, construction scaffolds, and cranes. And, a deep socio-cultural scar on residents of the city and the international graffiti community.

For over 20 years, 5Pointz was a most powerful force of positive change in New York City, particularly for its youth. I was 15 when I first visited 5Pointz, then known as the Phun Phactory. I was a fledgling graffiti writer, only rarely mustering the courage to get up outside of my blackbook. But I was deeply infatuated with the form and determined to get better. The more I painted, the more I met other writers.

My foray into graffiti was the first time I truly felt part of a community. 5Pointz was a magnet that drew us together. Graffiti gave us a stake in our city and connected us to the world at the same time. We didn’t have to risk arrest and we could take our time, honing skills and sharing ideas. The massive structures covered in hundreds of shades and layers of paint were a revelation. The fact that nobodies like us could paint next to legends was exciting (and terrifying), and motivated us to paint harder.

It was thrilling to see your own piece from the 7 train, knowing that thousands of other people were seeing it too.

Given all of the destructive activities we’d likely have engaged in, graffiti offered a compelling alternative: creative expression and the respect that came along with doing it in style. Yet, the medium itself and those who practice it are routinely criminalized.

Graffiti is arguably the most relevant art form of our time. Yet, it is attacked and destroyed where it is most accessible and where it is most at home. At the same time, it is routinely commodifed in the service of gentrification.

In New York City, its birthplace, graffiti has been under constant attack since the late 1980s. First, as a target of quality of life policing and the “buff”, and, more recently, as a casualty of gentrification. It’s important to note that the tactic of recklessly painting over graffiti, which is generally uneven and mismatched in color, is more symbolic than practical. It sends a message to writers in general, and the young people and communities (of color) where graffiti originated—that their creative expression is not wanted, is of no value, and is therefore expendable.

Long Island City is one of the most rapidly gentrifying neighborhoods in New York City due to its proximity to Manhattan. But it is artists, like those that popularized 5Pointz, who, in part, brought the neighborhood attention and raised its value. Once they had served their purpose, they were disposed of in favor of condos for the rich.

I’ve had many arguments about this. People point to Williamsburg and Bushwick as new “meccas” for graffiti, without recognizing that in these neighborhoods, graffiti, murals and other public art have played, and continue to play, a key role in the displacement of locals, in favor of young outsiders who can afford higher rents. They, in turn, attract rich property developers, who, when they take over, will permit graffiti within certain parameters that serve their interests. Like Jerry Wolkoff, who has promised to maintain significant wall space in his new development—built over 5Pointz—for graffiti writers. How much space, exactly? Who will be allowed to paint? What will be the criteria? These are all questions that fall on deaf ears, as we are reminded that we are lucky to be getting any space at all. Fuck that.

There is no shortage of evidence that spaces like 5Pointz are invaluable safe spaces for the young people of New York City. They provide access to the arts and culture as alternatives to high-risk behaviors and delinquency. They expose our youth to the world and all the possibilities that exist within it. Yet, they are directly, or indirectly, under attack. What can we as artists, appreciators, New Yorkers, and global citizens do to fill the abysses left by the destruction of OUR venues for creative expression?

About the Writer: Patrick M Lydon

Patrick M. Lydon is an American ecological writer and artist based in Korea whose seeks to re-connect cities and their inhabitants with nature. He writes The Possible City series, is co-founder of City as Nature (Daejeon). He is an Arts Editor here at The Nature of Cities.

Patrick Lydon

Looking from behind the stacks of legal cases brought against graffiti artists over the past several decades, it’s easy to see these individuals as graffiti “vandals”. On the other hand, walk into any of the number of tragically hip galleries and museums who showcase graffiti artists today, and these individuals are posed as “visionaries”, instead.

From this mindset, we arrive at what are two dominant “conventional” views of graffiti:

1) The graffiti “artist” is a sanctioned professional who creates socially challenging work that museums and patrons spend money to buy and support. Seen as a “productive” use of capital, we judge graffiti artists as beneficial.

2) The graffiti “vandal” creates socially challenging work that defaces public and private property, and which we spend public money to cover up. This being an “unproductive” use of capital, we judge graffiti vandals as burdensome.

These two popular views should tell us quite a bit about the obtuse condition of our social, legal, and economic systems, because in reality there isn’t such a wide divide between the actions and intents of the graffiti “artist” and those of the graffiti “vandal”, save for the one which these systems create.

The force that motivates many graffiti artists is, in fact, identical to that of many so-called “legitimate” artists. The major difference? The “legitimate” artists have found—or were given by status, privilege, or luck—a way to fit their work into the economic system.

This points to something most of us reading this already know well: lack of opportunity—or even perceived lack of opportunity—is a cause not only of graffiti, but of violence and crime and economic inequality. The solution, plainly put, is that our cities need more opportunities for young persons to contribute their creative hands and minds to their communities in ways that are socially productive.

City administrators tell us this is easier in theory than in practice, yet it becomes easier in practice if we let much of that theory come from the mouths of those who are primarily affected.

A few years ago, I teamed up with Mary Cheung, a photography teacher at Gunderson High School in San Jose, California. We asked a group of her students to use photography and written word to address issues that were impacting their lives. The works they handed in tackled surprisingly deep issues, from drugs to discrimination to sexual orientation.

Out of fifteen students, five wrote about graffiti.

Why not listen to the youth? Their insights are vivid…

“It is better for artists to be squeezing down on [spray] can caps than gun triggers”, was the conclusion that students Ryan Tran, Eric Gonzalez, and Adrian Morales came to.

How often does law enforcement take this view? Perhaps not often enough. One can’t help but think how many lives would be saved or changed if they did.

Two other students, Nick Melchor and Jeilah Evaristo, wrote that “…people only point out the negatives, not seeing the untapped talent the city has to offer”.

Nick and Jeilah went on to give an insight that surprised me because of how truly it rang in my mind; these two students wrote that graffiti “may be seen as a negative, but it gives off color to a plain and hurt city”.

A plain city.

A hurt city.

Two 15-year-olds see a hurt city, and they see graffiti as the color and expression, if not necessarily to show that hurt, then to provide an alternative to it. They also see, in themselves and their friends, an untapped talent; a talent with no logical outlet in their world other than on freeway overpasses and walls.

Colorful bandages applied to a hurt city. It’s not just poetic. It’s reality. It’s theory from the street.

There are few examples— Rio di Janeiro , Seoul , Bogotá, and others that will doubtless come up in this forum—where governments have realized the same reality that these two young people have.

The positive examples show governments using honesty and compassion, involving disenfranchised youth in the direction of cities and neighborhoods instead of locking them behind bars ; they show neighborhoods not just coming alive with color, but disenfranchised youth coming alive to believe in themselves, to discover and use their unique skills and passions to make their corner of the world better, regardless of whether they go on to be professional artists, business leaders, local politicians, or homeless recyclable collectors.

The positive examples bring notions of community and economy closer together, instead of continuing a dangerous global trend of pushing the two farther apart. In doing so, they create viable opportunities for individuals to build and join a community-focused economy.

When governments and citizens begin to see the world from the eyes of disenfranchised graffiti artists, when our theory comes from the streets, we’ll begin to see more positive examples and indicators, and more cities where the human impulse to be creatively employed is embraced, encouraged, and championed, even if this impulse presents challenges to our status quo.

About the Writer: Patrice Milillo

At Art is Power, Patrice focuses his energies full-time on working with and documenting visionary Arts initiatives from around the globe. Previously, he worked as a public school teacher in San Jose, California.

Patrice Milillo

What can it be: a critical look at the complexities of “graffiti” As I strolled through the cobblestone streets of Prague admiring cathedrals, statues, and horse-drawn carriages that transported tourists through what resembled a renaissance painting, I felt a real sense of tranquility. However, this feeling was instantly disrupted by the sight of a van that was completely covered with spray painted scrawls. The contrast of the van against the beautiful backdrop of antique Prague was similar to a pile of burning tires in the middle of a pristine rain forest. No one could ever convince me that this is a form of art.

Is it boredom, anger, or a complete disregard for public and private property that compels a person to do this? Is it a response to certain stresses, a cry for help, an intrinsic human need to be acknowledged, or something else? Regardless of where the compulsion arises, some forms of “graffiti” are nothing more than obnoxious acts by selfish individuals who feel entitled to claim space that isn’t theirs.

Perhaps the popularity of tagging was a response to boredom, frustration, or just the excitement of getting away with using subway cars and city walls as one’s personal billboard. Whatever it was, the article inspired multitudes to join in the competition. Though the act of scribbling one’s name on a wall may not be revolutionary, the fact that it resonated with so many and crossed racial and socioeconomic barriers was. From this starting point, participants set themselves apart by developing their monikers into increasingly sophisticated forms. This ushered in a new generation of artists like Lee Quinones , Seen ,  Dondi , Zephyr , and many others who painted high art on the sides of subway cars and buildings around the city.

“People had to somehow be original and interpret an aspect of themselves. To be original, you have to draw from your own background, your own culture, your own personality, what you’ve lived through.”

As in New York, European youth from all backgrounds had a democratic outlet that provided a sense of purpose, community, and fun. Some became artists and others scribbled their names, but for the ones who took it to the next level, “graffiti art” was empowering.

Medellín, Colombia boasts a similar story. Due to the unbridled cocaine trade of the 1990s, violence, fear, and drug addiction ravaged many communities. In the ashes of this difficult time, Henry Arteaga, a founding member of the world famous  Crew Pelegrosos, 4 Elements school of Hip Hop , explained:  “There were no cultural offerings, and the state left its youth abandoned.”

To make matters worse, since countless youths had been swept up by the drug cartels, there was a huge generational rift. In response, Henry and his friends took up “graffiti” and the other elements of Hip Hop. As in New York City and Berlin, youths in Medellín began interpreting aspects of themselves and their environment through “graffiti”, which empowered them to reclaim their communities. According to prominent sociologist and activist,  Dr. Charles Derber :

Most social movements rely on art as a powerful vehicle for expressing dissent and resistance as well as helping articulate new visions of society.

The beautifully executed artwork adorning the walls of the Hip-hop school and the surrounding neighborhoods illustrate the power of “graffiti” to, as Dr. Derber put it, “articulate new visions of society.” “Graffiti” was an effective implement for restoring humanity in a shattered community. Arteaga enthusiastically explained that today, the older generation, who were once terrified by the youth, no longer fear them.

Such examples illustrate the role of the arts in creating opportunities in bleak circumstances. They also illuminate “graffiti’s” subversive character, since the audacious act of appropriating public space for personal expression is a form of dissent, scary to people in power. In a 2013 Lecture at MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Professor Noam Chomsky (45:44)  explained:

“When people in power believe something firmly, it’s worth paying attention to them. And I think they believe firmly that you should not have revolutionary popular art in which people participate. Actually, that’s one of the reasons, I think, for destroying the graffiti on the New York subways.”

About the Writer: Laura Shillington

Laura Shillington is faculty in the Department of Geoscience and the Social Science Methods Programme at John Abbott College (Montréal). She is also a Research Associate at the Loyola Sustainability Research Centre, Concordia University (Montréal).

Laura Shillington

Graffiti, space, and gender

Graffiti art disrupts urban space in multiple ways. It interrupts the seemingly planned nature of cities, in particular in the hyper-planned city spaces of the global north. But the act of producing graffiti also interrupts normative ways of being and living in the city. To create graffiti is to do something illegal (in some cities), out of the ordinary, and in the margins of the city. Graffiti can be used to mark territory—as is the case with gangs in Los Angeles or Rio de Janeiro. It is can be used as a ‘public’ voice of marginalised populations. However, in many cities across the globe, graffiti is produced predominantly by men. In this sense, graffiti—both the art and act—are generally perceived as masculine. Why?

To create graffiti requires placing one’s body in risky places at precarious hours (e.g. at night). Women in most cities are still far more vulnerable that men, especially in certain places and at night. Women graffiti artists experience street harassment by men, including sexual harassment by police officers. Indeed, the women that create graffiti face more challenging situations, making their graffiti more significant to urban spaces. Moreover, the images and texts that many of these female artists create have an important social message. Putting themselves at risk to produce art (much of it political) is a claim to the right to the city: a demand to be safe and to be able to engage in producing urban space.

Yet, there are many great female graffiti artists, and the number is growing. In 2010, several women from Nicaragua and Costa Rica formed to create Las Destructoras (or Ladies Destroying Crew). These grafiteras have painted graffiti in Managua, San José, and several other cities. Most of their work has comprised tagging words, such as mujeres libres, fuertes, bellas (free, strong, beautiful women) and female figures, along with their tag names. For women, making graffiti—being in public (usually in groups)—is a rebellious act that disrupts the usual perception of young men transforming city spaces. It provides a sense of power over the city, their bodies, and the public (in relaying messages). In Nicaragua, the group has given workshops on graffiti to women in Managua and other cities.

That grafitti art in many cities is dominated by men means that even within marginalised (non-formal) productions of urban space, women’s art and voices remain side-lined and out of the public view. In this regard, the growing number of women graffiti artists is a positive force within communities. These women are helping make urban space (especially public and street spaces) safer by making their own presence visible—not only by puttng their bodies physically in these spaces when they create the art, but also through the female images and messages they leave behind. Such messages may help to generate discussions about street safety, harassment, and women’s roles in (public) art. Allowing young women to engage in graffiti may also help build confidence. The workshops that Ladies Destroying Crew have given on graffiti is one way to cultivate a culture of women and graffiti. Perhaps there are other ways that communities, organisations, and cities can use graffiti as a way to bring about more gender equity in urban spaces?

To meet the Ladies Destroying Crew, see their Facebook page (with an introductory video):

• https://www.facebook.com/lasdestructoras/videos/10150719603779105/?theater
• https://www.facebook.com/lasdestructoras?hc_location=ufi
• http://lasdestructoras.tumblr.com/
• https://saravannote.wordpress.com/2012/05/07/girls-graffiti-ladies-destroying-crew/ 

Other websites dedicated to female graffiti artists:

• http://www.womenstreetartists.com
• http://madc.tv (website of German graffiti artist Claudia Walde a.k.a. MadC)

Great article on Brazilian graffiti artist Panmela Casto:

Brown, G. (2012) Street Smarts: The Gender Justice of Graffiti Artist Panmela Castro. Bitch Magazine: Feminist Response to Pop Culture, Fall, Issue 56, p42-45.

37 thoughts on “ Graffiti and street art can be controversial, but can also be a medium for voices of social change, protest, or expressions of community desire. What, how, and where are examples of graffiti as a positive force in communities? ”

This page is fantastic, Thank you. It has really helped me with my dissertation on protest/resistance art in a street art form. LEGEND!

this helped alot with my school report

Kristel Bechara is an award-winning contemporary artist. Kristel’s work has been displayed around the world to great appreciation and demand, especially from galleries in Tokyo, Milano, Brussels, and France. She has received high acclaim in UAE as well, notably winning the UAE Resident Artist Award at the 2018 World Art Dubai for her collection, Beauty in Diversity.

Thank you frida

Graffitis can have reverse effects, such as the Turks did during the Armenian genocide. They wrote derogative graffiti on their own government buildings and mosques misattributing them to Armenians to foment Turks to attack their victims. They even smeared their mosques with feces for greater fomentation against Armenians.

Malatribution Before the Armenian genocide, the Turks did ‘reverse graffiti’ also; they wrote derogatory words on their own government buildings and mosques and accused Armenians of doing it. They even smeared their mosques with feces to foment against Armenians, thus preparing for the genocide.

this is a good page

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Art is very helpful to get the attention of the kids, most especially graffiti. However, the design for graffiti could be chosen carefully that is good for the kids. Thank you for the idea.

Art is very helpful to get the attention of the kids, most especially graffiti. However, the design for graffiti could be chosen carefully that is good for the kids.

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Thanks for that, Laura. It sounds like the graffiti in women’s bathrooms is far more interesting and meaningful than that of male bathrooms, which unfortunately still revolves around tagging and promotional stickering. Very egotistical and outright pointless stuff.

Come to think of it, I guess that shouldn’t be surprising at all.

That’s cool, but that still doesn’t fall under “unsupervised graffiti spaces.” It’s still an organized festival, where artists are chosen and the walls they paint are protected. It isn’t entirely the same thing I’m suggesting.

Very well said, Frida!

Thanks Laura.

Yes, this is very common in boroughs in Montreal. Since 1996 there has been an annual festival called “Under Pressure” which aims to create a dialogue between communities, government and artists about graffiti. Many years there is a theme, sometimes about political topics and the role of graffiti. http://underpressure.ca/

In Bogota the participation of graffiti artists is promoted in a space where its promotion issues will be discussed . Do you know a similar experience ?

http://www.culturarecreacionydeporte.gov.co/es/abierta-convocatoria-para-escoger-representante-del-comite-del-grafiti-en-bogota

This is a very delayed response. Part of what makes graffiti powerful is lack of permanence. Society — and thus power — is never static. Graffiti can be read as a response to the changes in society, thus the importance of documenting. Graffiti is simultaneously a present and historical moment (representative of change). The Harlem Collective that Javier points to is a wonderful example.

The act of making graffiti (not just the final product) can be incredibly beneficial. It can create a sense of power — of acting against a ‘wrong’ (for lack of a better word) — of taking over space. Writing and drawing graffiti can be seen as an act of pleasure, a desire to write and express. It is seen as relaxing by some artists – a form of therapy. (There is great article on this called “‘Our desires are ungovernable” – I can pass it on for those interested).

Another sort of graffiti that we have not explored here is bathroom graffiti. Much of this is less graphic and more text. Graffiti writing on bathroom stalls — at least in the women’s stalls in my experience — can incite conversations about topics such as romance and relationships (heterosexual and homosexual), rape, empowering women, degrading women, anti-capitalism, etc. The bathroom stall becomes a space of communication, of empowerment and can be very beneficial to those who are not able to speak up in other spaces.

Patrick, you make some good points in your article. Graffiti wasn’t considered an art until the galleries realized that they could make money off of it. The more it becomes commodified the less democratic it becomes. Like it or not, the illegality of the act in itself is a political statement.

On the point of “measurement” I can see both Paul Downton’s and Javier Otero’s points. I’m not sure how one would study the lasting impacts of ephemeral graffiti, as Javier suggests, but there could be some valuable ideas that emerge from studies about changing public attitudes about graffiti. Javier’s point also reinforces the idea that graffiti *has* benefits—that’s what this roundtable is partly about. It’s good to explore what these benefits are, or are not—both in scholarship and public fora—both to individuals and to communities.

And surely we should make concerted efforts to document graffiti—this is a form of measurement also. Indeed, there are many such efforts underway.

Wonderful … Only through the measurable human is built ? Although surely they will exist indicators measuring sensory experiences the subject of graffiti contribution to community building goes beyond , as Paul says , conventional measuring systems. The other week will share their experience of a woman stencil, that writer in Bogota, and how its practice contributes to building community from the sensible . And if we see the points made by Javier in relation to the Harlem experience it can be seen only with images power in terms of building (social, artistic , urban ) relationships generated .

You need to try to measure what is done , but it is more important to share when it comes to graffiti , is IMHO

A good example of the positive energy that graffiti can generate, but Javier, why do we need to ‘measure’ the benefits of graffiti art? What kind of quantification do you have in mind? How on earth do you establish whether the “benefits transcend the ephemeral art”? Isn’t that a step towards entirely unnecessary commodification?

We must be able (perhaps we have to relearn) to conceive of the various strands of life, human and otherwise, without placing them in the framework of measurement and commodification or else we run the risk of never being able to see the world without burdening our vision with the myopic distorting glasses of the marketplace.

Great topic, thanks for this!

Concerning the beneficial influences of graffiti, there is an interesting example in East Harlem. The Harlem Art Collective (HART) “took over” a wall on 116th street, and they use it to express and encourage art with political and social intentions. This month, for example, the wall focuses on women, women rights and gender equality, in celebration of International Women’s day. Not only they do their own “guerrilla art”, but they also encourage people in the community to share their art, poetry, photographs, or anything they want on the wall.

On their Facebook page (www.facebook.com/theHarlemArtCollective) you can see photos of the different themes they have focused on. On this page they also share their goals, among which we can highlight: “Inspire our community and encourage artistic expression; create an inclusive and welcoming environment for everyone to participate” and “Instill pride and respect in our neighborhood by beautifying and restoring abandoned and neglected spaces.”

On this regard, I have a few questions: To what extent are they accomplishing these and their other goals with their actions? What are the keys to success in the use of graffiti art as an effective tool to have a positive influence in a community? How can we measure the alleged beneficial influence of graffiti art? What is the lifespan of these benefits? Do these benefits transcend the ephemeral art that brings them about?

‘The walls never stop talking’ – I like that a lot!

Tagging versus Graffiti

There is an interesting tension between what counts as graffiti and tagging. Is there a difference? Is tagging a form of graffiti? Or is it it’s own category? Indeed, those who tag seems to fall more easily into Patrick’s category of vandal (as opposed to artist)?

There is an interesting tension between what counts as graffiti and tagging. Is there a difference? Is tagging a form of graffiti? Or is it it’s own category? Indeed, those who tagg seems to fall more easily into Patrick’s category of vandal (as opposed to artist)?

I agree. However, we have to be careful not to universalize all graffiti as an expression of anger/frustration against hegemonic powers. In some cases, graffiti (including tagging) can reinforce hegemonic ideas. In particular patriarchy. The graffiti that is used by gangs to mark territory can be incredibly misogynistic and does not counter prevailing systems (in this case patriarchy). Thus it does not counter prevailing powers but rather supports a particular form of prevailing power.

Graffiti is a powerful tool to counteract the arbitrariness of power. The walls never stop talking …

The monopoly of information creates distortions in public opinion makes the case is defined as graffiti vandalism . Despite its power and ability to go beyond the official discourse is something that enriches the public.

Thanks for your opinion

Degenerate forms of power show up through automatisms: one does something without being aware of what he is doing. Media system power takes advantages of our lack of conscience. Many of the sentences or tags that I see around on the walls of the cities seem to be made in this way. It smells of frustration and alienation. However, frustration and alienation can be transformed in aesthetic and political tools if they are fertilized by inspiration and intuition. My invitation is to consider “graffiti e street art” as a form of expression which can have a strong political impact: do not consider walls as a personal blackboard but be conscious of our feelings, ideas and talents in terms of giving a contribution to a “conversation” (also and above all with our “enemies”)

Bogota exists in a very strong relationship with the discussion bathroom graffiti and public space . Mass Media Economic Groups belonging to argue that it is of both ” artistic ” Mar is a contribution to the landscape of the city . the concept of “art” that is imposed from Manages Media THESE leaving out everything they considered ” vandalism ” .

You are my hero today Frida. Thank you for this.

Graffiti is a triggered emotional response to an inner conscious or unconscious call for justice and understanding. If the spaces weren’t or aren’t made available, it would be like having denied first humans to embed petroglyphs in cave walls. Graffiti is genetic human nature.

Therefore, graffiti expression should be a right. The controversy lies in the notion of public and private. Because in ancestral times that concept did not exist, it was the community who gave birth to graffiti out of the primal need to communicate.

Advertisers pay the owners of publicly visible sites. They do not pay the viewers for trespass on their vision. Bravo to graffiti artists for breaking the monopoly of money over what we see.

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How to come up with a creative essay title in 5 Practical steps

Bob cardens.

• November 30, 2023
• How to Guides

Working on an important essay? Here’s how to come up with a creative essay title for your essay

Good essay titles should be concise, eye-catching, and comprehensive, reflecting the specific idea of your paper.

Avoid revealing too much, using long titles, or including numbers, figures, or quotes in the title.

You should consider utilizing popular phrases , summarizing your essay in three words, or using your thesis statement as a basis for the title.

Properly format and punctuate your essay title according to the citation style guidelines.

What You'll Learn

Qualities of a creative essay title

A good essay title plays a crucial role in capturing readers’ interest and setting the tone for the entire paper.

It serves multiple purposes, including conveying the essence of the essay, attracting attention, and indicating the author’s credibility.

A well-crafted title can make your essay stand out and entice readers to delve into your writing.

So, what are the qualities of a creative essay title ?

• It should be memorable and unique, leaving a lasting impression on the reader’s mind.
• A creative and attention-grabbing title can pique curiosity and make someone curious to learn more.
• A good title should accurately reflect the content of the essay, giving readers a clear idea of the topic and main argument.

A goo d essay title includes ;

Remember to balance creativity and clarity, ensuring that your title accurately represents your essay’s content and sets the right tone.

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• Writing your essay first and then crafting the title afterward can be helpful . – This allows you to ensure that the title accurately reflects the content of the essay and serves as a fitting introduction for your readers.
• Create the title by using your thesis statement as a basis . – By extracting keywords or phrases from your thesis, you can create a concise and focused title that encapsulates the main idea of your essay. This not only provides clarity for your readers but also enhances the overall coherence of your writing.
• Incorporate popular phrases or clichés with a unique twist . – This can help to grab the attention of your audience and make your title stand out from the crowd.
• Sum up your essay in three words , highlighting the core message or theme of your writing in a concise and impactful manner.
• The title should be in line with the overall tone of your writing , whether it is serious, humorous, informative, or persuasive. – Matching your title’s tone to your essay’s tone creates a cohesive and engaging reading experience for your audience.

List of creative essay topics on college

• The benefits of attending a community college before transferring to a four-year university
• The impact of technology on college campuses
• Exploring the role of student activism in college campuses
• The challenges faced by international students in adapting to college life
• The importance of liberal arts education in the modern world
• The effects of social media on college students’ mental health
• Exploring the rising trend of online education and its impact on traditional colleges
• The role of college extracurricular activities in personal and professional development
• The significance of diversity and inclusion on college campuses
• The impact of college rankings and reputation on students’ decisions
• Exploring the rise of entrepreneurship in college campuses
• The benefits and drawbacks of a gap year before starting college
• The role of college education in preparing students for the workforce
• The importance of internships and experiential learning in college
• The Challenges Faced by first-generation College Students and Their Road to Success
• The effects of student loans on college graduates’ financial well-being
• Exploring the pros and cons of attending a prestigious college versus a smaller institution
• The role of college in fostering critical thinking and intellectual curiosity
• The impact of college sports culture on students’ overall college experience
• The significance of college study abroad programs in global awareness and cultural exchange

Read More on 50+ Good Research Paper Topics Mental Health with Prompts

Popular Phrases and Clichés for Essay Titles

By following these tips and utilizing creative strategies, you can create an effective essay title that captures the essence of your writing, engages your readers, and sets the tone for the rest of your essay.

Essay Title Formats and Punctuations

When it comes to formatting essay titles, different citation styles have specific guidelines that must be followed. Whether you are using MLA, APA, or Chicago style, understanding the correct format is essential for a well-presented and professional essay. Here is a breakdown of the essay title formats and punctuations for each style.

• MLA Essay Title Format – In MLA style, the title of your essay should be centered and capitalized. You should capitalize the first and last words of the title, as well as every other word except prepositions, articles, and coordinating conjunctions. For example, “The Importance of Education in Society.”
• APA Essay Title Format – APA style has specific requirements for essay titles. The title should be centered and written in title case, which means capitalizing the first letter of each major word. Additionally, the title should not exceed 12 words and should be clear and concise. For example, “The Effects of Social Media on Teenagers’ Mental Health.”
• Chicago Style Essay Title Format – In Chicago style, the title should be capitalized, using title case. However, Chicago style gives more freedom to the writer and does not have specific guidelines like MLA or APA. It is important to maintain consistency throughout your essay. For example, “The Role of Technology in Modern Education.”

Punctuating Essay Titles

When punctuating essay titles , follow the rules of the specific citation style. In general, titles of longer works, such as books or movies, should be italicized or underlined.

Shorter works, such as articles or essays, should be enclosed in quotation marks . For example, The Catcher in the Rye or “The Importance of Being Earnest.”.

Examples of Creative Essay Titles

Coming up with a creative essay title can be challenging, but it’s a crucial aspect of capturing readers’ attention and setting the tone for your writing. Here are some examples of creative essay titles that can inspire you to craft your own unique and captivating title:

List of 20 Examples of Creative Argumentative Essay Titles

• The Implications of Artificial Intelligence on Future Job Markets
• Should Vaccinations be Mandatory for Public School Enrollment?
• The Rise of Deepfakes: A Threat to Personal Identity and Democracy
• Is Universal Basic Income a Viable Solution to Technological Unemployment?
• The Ethics of Genetic Engineering: Should We Edit Human DNA?
• Can Renewable Energy Completely Replace Fossil Fuels by 2050?
• The Role of Social Media in Shaping Public Opinion: A Force for Good or Bad?
• The Death Penalty: A Just Punishment or a Violation of Human Rights?
• Should Governments Regulate Fake News on the Internet?
• Animal Testing: Necessary Medical Progress or Cruel and Unnecessary Practice?
• The Impact of Climate Change on Global Migration Patterns
• Surveillance vs Privacy: How Much Government Spying is Too Much?
• Is the Gig Economy Empowering Freelancers or Eroding Worker Rights?
• Mandatory Military Service – An Outdated Practice or Necessary for National Security?
• Are Traditional Gender Roles Beneficial or Harmful in Modern Society?
• The Influence of Corporate Lobbying on Democratic Processes
• Should Colleges Be Tuition-Free, and How Would Society Benefit?
• Veganism as a Moral Choice: Addressing the Ethical Concerns Regarding Animal Consumption
• Can Space Exploration be Justified When There are Issues to Solve on Earth?
• The Consequences of Social Stratification in Educational Opportunities

List of 20 Examples of Creative Narrative Essay Titles

• “Whispers of the Old Willow: A Child’s Secret Adventure”
• “Glimpses Beyond the Mirror: Otherworldly Encounters”
• “Lost in the Library: The Tale of a Mythical Tome”
• “The Puppeteer’s Promise: Strings Attached to Fate”
• “Beneath the Hometown Sky: Memories Inked in Stars”
• “Dancing with Shadows: A Nocturnal Revelation”
• “Through the Eye of a Needle: Stitching Reality’s Fabric”
• “The Melody of the Windswept Dunes”
• “The Inkwell of Dreams: An Author’s Fantasy”
• “Echoes from the Lighthouse: A Maritime Mystery”
• “Flight of the Firefly: Illuminating the Darkened Path”
• “The Clockmaker’s Creation: Ticking Toward Destiny”
• “Veiled Realms beneath the Suburban Quiet”
• “A Penchant for Poison: Secrets of an Apothecary’s Daughter”
• “Reveries of a Solitary Walker in a Vanishing Town”
• “Carnival of Whispers: The Masked Truths Unveiled”
• “The Orchard’s Keeper: Roots Entwined with Lore”
• “A Portrait Painted by Time Itself”
• “The Last Train to Halcyon: The Journey Beyond”
• “Waves Against Our Fate: The Chronicles of Seafarers’ Hearts”

List of 20 Examples of Creative Persuasive Essay Titles

• The Future is Green: Why Renewable Energy is Inevitable
• Homework: An Outdated Practice in Modern Education?
• Dress Codes in Schools: Suppression of Expression or Necessary Order?
• Social Media: Connecting People or Isolating Individuals?
• The Power of Music: Can Melodies Shape Societies?
• Animals Have Rights Too: The Case for Ethical Treatment
• The School Lunch Revolution: Why Nutrition is a Priority
• Plastic Bags: Convenience vs. Environmental Catastrophe
• Video Games and Violence: Correlation or Causation?
• Space Exploration: Worth the Investment or Money Down a Black Hole?
• Fast Food Nation: The Health Costs of Convenience
• Should Graffiti Be Considered Art or Vandalism?
• Vegetarianism: A Healthier Way of Life or a Passing Trend?
• Standardized Tests: Measuring Intelligence or Stress Levels?
• Cellphones in Classrooms: Learning Tool or Distraction?
• Zoos and Aquariums: Conservation Centers or Animal Prisons?
• The Gig Economy: Freedom from 9-5 or Worker Exploitation?
• Online Privacy – A Myth in the Digital Age?
• Surveillance Cameras in Public Places: Safety vs Privacy
• Mandatory Volunteering: An Oxymoron that Benefits Society?

Examples of Creative Scholarship Essay Titles

• Beyond Grades: A Story of Overcoming and Achieving
• The Colors of Determination: Painting My Educational Journey
• Dancing with Possibilities: My Aspirations in Motion
• Defying Odds: A Leap from Adversity to Academia
• A Symphony of Dreams: Composing My Future
• The Alchemist of Innovation: Transmuting Challenges Into Success
• Bridging Worlds: An Odyssey from Heritage to Horizons
• Shaping Destiny with a Palette of Passion and Perseverance
• The Architect of Ambition: Building a Foundation for Change
• Crafting Futures: My Quest for Knowledge and Craftsmanship
• From Trials to Triumph: My Academic Expedition
• Lighting Up the Mind: Illuminating the Path to Knowledge
• Across Borders and Boundaries: A Scholar’s Voyage of Discovery
• Fighting for My Future: A Tale of Tenacity and Triumph
• Sailing Against the Wind: Charting a Course to Scholarship Success
• The Power of Words: Weaving a Narrative Tapestry for Education
• From Shadows to Sunshine: Radiating Hope Through Learning
• The Melody of Progress: Harmonizing Hardship with Education
• Pioneering Progress: Navigating New Territories in Learning
• Lifting As I Climb: An Essay on Ambition and Altruism

Examples of Creative Nursing Essay Titles

• Navigating the Complexities of End-of-Life Care in Nursing
• The Impact of Emotional Intelligence on Nursing Practice
• The Future of Nursing: Innovations in Patient-Centered Care
• The Role of Nurses in Managing Pandemic Outbreaks
• Exploring Holistic Approaches to Pain Management in Nursing
• Bridging Cultural Gaps: Effective Communication Strategies in Multicultural Nursing
• Ethical Dilemmas in Nursing: A Case Study Approach
• The Power of Empathy: Building Stronger Nurse-Patient Relationships
• Leadership in Nursing: Strategies for Advancing Healthcare Excellence
• Embracing Technology: How Informatics is Transforming Nursing
• Mental Health Advocacy: Expanding the Role of Psychiatric Nurses
• Balancing the Scales: Addressing Work-Life Harmony in Nursing
• Pioneering Practices: The Rise of Nurse Practitioners and Their Expanding Scope
• Healing Beyond Medicine: Incorporating Alternative Therapies in Nursing Care
• The Silent Crisis: Addressing Nurse Burnout and Retention Issues
• Collaborative Care Models: Integrating Interprofessional Teams in Nursing Practice
• Charting New Territories: The Role of Nurses in Telehealth and Remote Patient Monitoring
• Pediatric Palliative Care: A Delicate Balance Managed by Nurses
• Combatting the Spread of Infectious Diseases through Nursing Innovation and Education
• Life on the Frontlines: Personal Narratives of Nurses During Global Health Emergencies

Find more nursing topics and ideas

NB: Choose a title that accurately reflects your essay’s content, engages your audience, and piques their curiosity.

Coming up with a creative essay title requires attention to detail , understanding the purpose and qualities of a good title , and utilizing various techniques such as using your thesis , popular phrases , or summarizing the essay in three words.

Consider the format and punctuation guidelines for essay titles based on the citation style used.

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The New York Times

The learning network | can graffiti ever be considered art.

Can Graffiti Ever Be Considered Art?

Questions about issues in the news for students 13 and older.

• See all Student Opinion »

“I don’t know what art is, but….” People have been finishing this sentence with “I know what I like” or “I know it when I see it” for a long, long time.

How do you define “art”? It is something that shows mastery, has stood the test of time, speaks for the era in which it was created, is valued by the masses, is not valued by the masses–or something else?

In “Stalking a Most Prolific Phantom,” Michiko Kakutani reviews “Banksy: The Man Behind the Wall,” a book by Will Ellsworth-Jones that is about the work of the elusive graffiti artist.

The graffiti artist Banksy’s work is immediately recognizable: clever, funny, sometimes political stencils and artworks that have popped up on walls (and occasionally in museums and galleries) in cities around the world — giant rats clutching paint brushes or umbrellas or boom boxes; chimps wearing placards (“Laugh now, but one day we’ll be in charge”); trompe l’oeil windows/holes (opening out onto a mountain vista or a picturesque beach or a pretty cloudscape) on barrier walls in the West Bank; children wearing gas masks or chasing after balloons that are floating away. Some are out-and-out sight gags — giant scissors with cut-here dotted lines stenciled on a wall. Some are doctored works, replacing the Mona Lisa’s famous visage with a yellow smiley face or flinging some shopping carts into one of Monet’s tranquil water gardens. And some are oddly philosophical meditations: showing a leopard escaping from a bar-code zoo cage, or a woman hanging up a zebra’s stripes to dry on a laundry line. What they have in common is a coy playfulness — a desire to goad viewers into rethinking their surroundings, to acknowledge the absurdities of closely held preconceptions. Over the years Banksy has tried to maintain his anonymity. He has argued that he needs to hide his real identity because of the illegal nature of graffiti — that he “has issues with the cops,” that authenticating a street piece could be like “a signed confession.” But as obscurity has given way to fame and his works have become coveted — and costly — collectors’ pieces, critics have increasingly pointed out that Banksy has used anonymity as a marketing device, as another tool in his arsenal of publicity high jinks to burnish his own mystique. … Mr. Ellsworth-Jones’s book is at its most fascinating in tracing Banksy’s evolution from outsider, spraying walls in Bristol like dozens of other young graffiti practitioners, to international artist with work that “commands hundreds of thousands of pounds in the auction houses of Britain and America.” He is adept at examining some of the existential dilemmas this success created for Banksy — dilemmas shared by many outsider and counterculture artists, who suddenly find their work embraced by the very mainstream they’d once scorned. He also looks at the eclectic new fans (including kids and street toughs) that Banksy’s art has attracted to museums and galleries, and the debates over whether wall art by Banksy and other graffiti artists should be left on the streets, where it runs the danger of being written over, defaced, scrubbed clean by city cleaning crews or filched by opportunists eager to make a fast buck. Some argue that such pieces should be liberated, so that they can be preserved and exhibited in museums and other places. Others argue that context is everything, that these works were made for specific sites and need to be seen in their original environment. If they vanish, so be it; ephemerality is part of what street art is. (And besides, photographs posted on the Web, which has hugely accelerated his fame, can always provide a pictorial record.) In one interview, Banksy observed: “I’ve learnt from experience that a painting isn’t finished when you put down your brush — that’s when it starts. The public reaction is what supplies meaning and value. Art comes alive in the arguments you have about it.”

Students: Tell us …

• What do you think of Banksy’s statement that public reaction gives art meaning? What examples back your point?
• Do you consider the Banksy image shown above to be art? Why or why not?
• Have you ever been moved by a piece of graffiti, street art or even a billboard?
• Does the viewer need to be moved in order for something to be considered art? Why or why not?
• How do you interpret Banksy’s anonymity? Is it art, marketing, shyness?

NOTE: Students, please use only your first name. For privacy policy reasons, we will not publish student comments that include a last name.

Comments are no longer being accepted.

I can see the kids in the Lascaux caves thousands of years ago painting on the walls, disapproved of by their elders, shooed away, retreating far back into the maze of caves to do their art.

Yes, perhaps that’s why much of that art is in out-of-the-way places, graffiti of the times.

And two thousand years from now, when archeologists uncover a spray painted wall or, perhaps, a carefully sprayed New York subway car, what will they make of it? Will they consider it the canvas of the 21st century masses, or will they attribute profound but dubious meaning to it, as current archeologists due with the Lascaux cave art?

I don’t usually appreciate grafitis because most time it is not done as art but only as vandalism. Graffiter confuse art with political motivation. The photo related might easily bring up a brawling, specially in places with a previous tension like Libia, Iraq or Afghanistan. These acts encourage people to create riots and it often leads to deaths.

Graffiti artists are are called artists for a reason: because it’s art. A regular person can not go to a canvas, put their emotions on the canvas and have it come out either beautiful, powerful, or a master piece. And while yes vandalism is illegal it is still art

I believe that Graffiti is considered art because art has a meaning behind it and has feelings beneath the picture itself and so does graffiti. People express themselves in art work, they can also express their emotions in graffiti. Art can make people feel something like sadness or happiness. Graffiti does the same. when your walking in the street and whenever you see graffiti you stop and look at it and you sometimes fell emotions I know that i have when I’ve driven by it in a car and seen it and it made me feel happy and put a smile on my face or it made me feel angry or depressed. Art wok lights up the room where it is and graffiti does the same, but it doesn’t light up a room it lights up the area it’s at. It gives the place more lively energy and a more positive outlook. Graffiti and artwork have more similarities than they have differences. Graffiti should be considered art work because it has all the accepts and traits of be art work.

I think graffiti should be considered art, for most people say that a picture is worth a thousand words. The reason people say this is, for that a picture has a much deeper meaning then just a random picture. Some people use art to show how they feel about themselves, or about other events around them. Some people use it to show other things like gang signs which isn’t always right but there expressing themselves. Taking away graffiti is like taking away a mural. Those are the same thing there symbolic showing and expressing something. I also believe that you shouldn’t take away graffiti because sometimes that’s the only way people can be heard. There is a movie out there called Step Up Revolution, and they use there dance and their art work to be heard about taking away peoples homes. Art can show everything about a person and it also could help people get off hard times. Art is a beautiful thing and some people use that instead of doing a sport. In conclusion i think that graffiti should be considered art.

What is art art could be a pile of trash a artist finds on the side of the road or Graffiti on a wall its art just the same. It may look like vandalism but it is art you don’t look down on an artist that just puts a red dot on a white canvas you marvel at that and think its amazing but when an artist graffiti’s a wall you look at it like vandalism but you see graffiti it can be shown as an art of vandalism but it can also be shown as something unique and amazing. So i disagree to those who say its not art because really art is the way you feel as you sculpt, make, or even think of a design its everywhere even in nature and the buildings you live in and there some who sit down and think what it is and what its not but the thing is its everything so why not Graffiti being art?

In my opinion i think that graffite is a way of art because it involves a theam to it but it also is vandalism.

I think it should be considered art because most of the pictures move people in ways that other art cant. Graffiti shows the real problems and what’s really going on in the word unlike other art that tries to show the word in a perfect state when its not. And most art doesn’t even look like anything it just looks like colors splattered on a page, but graffiti shows pictures that look life like and often tell a story.

I believe that some kinds of graffiti are considered a work of art because people have the right to show how they feel about things in the world in any form. People see the world in a lot of different ways. . Graffiti is just one of the many types of art. But in order to create graffiti you should be able to show how you feel about it and not just do it to show off your gang. Showing off your gangs name is not the type of graffiti I would like to see.

i think graffiti can be considered a work of art because many of the pieces artists paint are portraits of historical things or beautiful outlines of famous art work. Creating street art can be a beautiful piece of work when put to good use . But I don’t think gangs should use graffitti for their own personal agenda. People have the right to voice their opinion on how art transforms their life whether it be through street art or just a regular painting. So I really think street art can be a truly creative way of expressing yourself.

Public endorse an art work or not does, more or less, provide a meaning to the art itself. Since art is valued by personal opinions, it is hard to give a definition of “a good art” is. For example, van Gogh’s art works are not considered masterpieces until many years after his death. A same art work may receive totally different reviews about it. So it is obvious that public reaction, by how they value it, definitely gives “life” to an art work.

I think that the Graffiti is a way for people to express them selfs. When you are out on the streets a little more beautiful things would be nice. When people use it as a crim then they sould be punished for it. When you are doing it illegaly then you are not makeing art.

yes it is art.graffitti is all about art.Is all about what you see in your state of mind.ITS ABOUT EXPRESSING YOUR SELF ON WALLS.NO iv never been moved by a piece of graffiti, street art or even a billboard.why? because i dont do graffitti.

Graffiti to me is a sence of art work as long as it dosn’t involve hurtful images, words, or gang related things. I do belive that it should be kept in appropriate places and not just on random walls. For example, in a nieghborhood if there is really random graffiti that involves anything I listed above it will make it look ugly.

I think that graffiti should be considerd as art. Dont do it when you are not supposed to. It is the way that poeple feel in ways. If you are doing it illegaly then it is not art.

I believe that some griffiti could be considered art, but some graffiti are around just to distruct property. Graffiti is done for many reasons and some are for good reasons. Even though its not legal some people do it to express themselves on a higher level. I’ve seen it next to my house before and I didn’t really like it because it made my neighborhood look bad.

I think graffiti is considered as art, because it revolves with people seeing all of the beautiful, pictures, and also all the pretty different colors on the art that people design.

Art is a method of expressing ones personal feelings. Graffiti can be interpreted this way as well. although graffiti is considered destroying personal property and illegal throughout the country, I personally believe that it is an appropriate way of expressing feelings. For someone to take the time and effort to graffiti the side of a mountain or underneath the underpass on the highway, it shows the passion that one person has for art. Graffiti is a form of art, just a form of art that is wrongly frowned upon in society. Those who graffiti are punished severely for doing so, while all they are attempting to accomplish is expressing their emotions on a blank piece of landscape. Graffiti will be and should currently be accepted in society.

the question of “is it art?” has been laid to rest for nearly a hundred years now regarding any style or any medium. Anything can be considered art, ANYTHING! I believe the question people should be discussing is whether something is good art or bad art. I grow weary of the everyman looking at an art piece and saying “that ain’t art!”. Duchamp said that the artist of the future will merely have to point to something to make it art. Which means anything can be art and it isn’t for anyone but the artist to decide that. If the viewer chooses, he or she can then decide and discuss whether its good or not until they are blue in the face.

I can understand why spray painting on buildings would be illegal, but graffiti is another form of self expression. It is another way for people to share their thoughts and feelings with others. And to show citizens that they do not just go around vandalizing property because they please too, but to show them that they possess skills and talent. If one can become famous from splattering some paint on a canvas, then why can’t those that graffiti become well known too? Graffiti art tells its audience a story, and that should be recognized and praised for.

Modern day graffiti is artwork done illegally on public or private property. There is a post-graffiti movement of artwork influenced by graffiti in a gallery setting. There is really no name for this yet. Some tried to label it graffuturism.

People don’t understand the emotion that is put behind graffiti, every peice is telling a story. Some are about life, others are political, and yet the ones who ‘vandalize’ are penalized for simply doing what America has given us the right to do. I can understand that business owners don’t want spray paint showing up on the sides of their buildings, but where else do you expect them to go? If a person can become famouse for drawing a bunch of shapes then shouldn’t a message or a picture done for the public be art? Art is the expression of emotions, that’s exactally what graffiti is, raw expression to the world around them.

Graffiti takes thought, emotion, and creativity just like any other form of art. Graffiti should be considered art and not an illegal act because to us, the people, it’s the beauty of expression. The thought behind graffiti is showing the human condition in a beautiful outspoken, and rebellious sort of way. The world isn’t perfect so why should the way we express it be?

I think it can be considered art because of the meaning of it . Its not meant to be visualy appealing but to bring attention to a problem . If you look at modern art you usually get no meaning from it . Its absract and meaningless . its meant for looks . Graffiti is meant to have a reason behind . I understand its not always this way though . The people that make meaning of it and make it to bring attention and not to destroy things have created works of art .

Graffiti is not about is it art or not, it has to do with painting on property that does not belong to teh person painting, plain and simple. Steve F. You mention kids painting caves being art, well that is true, but remember, they were painting in the caves they lived. Had they scurried over to another persons cave and painted unwanted symbols, and been caught, it would have been a death sentence carried out right then then and there. Graffiti can be art if done on any medium, with permission from the person who owns the property. Even if Van Gogh had taken his talents and went and painted on the Venus de Milo statue, it would not have been considered art. It is a simple mind that can not understand the respect for the property of others.

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Graffiti and Street Art as a Means for Good

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Graffiti is a public good, even as it challenges the law.

Lu Olivero is the director of Aerosol Carioca and the author of the forthcoming "Cidade Grafitada: A Journey Inside Rioʼs Graffiti Culture."

Updated July 11, 2014, 6:15 PM

Vandalism is expression and that is what makes it art. Graffiti, a vandalism sub-genre, is differentiated by its aesthetics, or its message.

However, graffiti straddles the line between pure art and pure vandalism. Though graffiti represents a challenge to the law — and sometimes serves as social commentary about the subjectivity of laws — it can simultaneously serve a public good through its nuanced social commentary and its artistry.

The arbitrary nature of how graffiti is removed or preserved highlights an interesting dissonance: the social-political oligarchy rejects the artist, and the conditions that create the art, unless the art is somehow accepted on the establishment’s terms. Enter Banksy: a British street artist, and self-described vandal, who has become a celebrated figure in the world of elite art.

Banksy’s work has unintentionally reignited the “art or vandalism” debate: though the British government has been vigilant in removing his trademark stencil art, labeling it “vandalism,” his original works and knockoffs have skyrocketed in price over the last decade. His work is often highly satirical of establishment rules and politics. Why is it that Banksy’s work is gobbled up by the same people he is critical of — yet his contemporaries are looked at as “criminals"? Why are they judged so differently?

Thirty years ago hip-hop music was labeled “noise,” and graffiti will follow the same trajectory. Perceptions about street art have already drastically changed.

For example, in Brazil, during late 1990s, it was common for graffiti artists to be harassed or shot at by the police. Today, many of the same officers support graffiti initiatives for city beautification, and as a crime deterrent. They understand that graffiti can be a career opportunity for youth in low-income neighborhoods. The growth of graffiti in Brazil, and its role in challenging the status quo, demonstrates the power of art, and its ability to create dialogue.

In the city of Rio de Janeiro, many leading street artists have put graffiti to good use for social development, founding art schools in low-income neighborhoods and partnering with the police to paint murals in run-down areas. They host large events and festivals, which bring in tourists.

It has had such an effect that this year the mayor of Rio announced the legalization of graffiti on city property that is not historical.

The truth is that despite the acceptance of graffiti, it needs the law so that it can function outside of it. This is where innovation is born, and this is what pushes the art to evolve. Had graffiti artists in Brazil painted inside the lines of the law, many internationally acclaimed artists would never have existed.

Some people may not like the message, or how it is manifested, but that doesn’t mean the message – and the medium – don’t have value.

Join Opinion on Facebook and follow updates on twitter.com/roomfordebate .

Topics: Law , art

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