Art versus Vandalism

This is a topic which I have given considerable thought over the years, and I think I have a fairly good perspective of both sides of the argument. Placement is of particular importance, put your artwork on somebody’s property without their permission and it’s vandalism no matter how good it is. Stick to public structures, bridges, walls etc. and I’m not too concerned. In all honesty, is plain, bare, grey concrete really all that appealing? No, of course not, time to introduce the urban artist.The urban artist has been around a long time in many different guises, in recent years they have evolved from spray can artists and taggers into stencil, wheat paste and sticker artists. Graffiti has become a much more mainstream activity and many large brands now used urban art styles in their advertising campaigns. The new styles have made graffiti much more accessible and much lower risk, this has fuelled its rapid growth.The general public demand a better class of graffiti these days, they want to be challenged or provoked, made to think or feel. Think of the most prolific taggers, getting their names up hundreds of times every night, think of the energy and effort required. Think of the cityscape if all of that effort was distilled into a small number of good quality pieces, masterpieces maybe? People are much more likely to remember your name if you can produce something worthwhile, special or simply different, why should your tag stand out in a plethora of other tags? Quality not quantity is all that impresses me these days.Graffiti is a great medium for conveying a message to passers-by, you have a chance to reach out to them, to touch them and to make them think. You have a choice, either show thousands of people a meaningless tag which ultimately, says nothing to them. Or reach out to a few hundred and really affect them. I know which I would choose. If you really have nothing to say, why even bother? A lot of graffiti seems to be related to positioning, getting work up in unusual, difficult or downright risky places can see your work elevated in the eyes of other urban artists. It can also get you arrested. The secret to this is the quick hit, to be in and out in seconds. And here lies the problem. Even for the most talented of artists, a few seconds isn’t going to allow you to commit anything particularly impressive to your chosen piece of wall.This is where the newer forms of graffiti come into play and this in part has driven their popularity. Stencils and wheatpaste form part of the powerful new arsenal of the urban artist. Incredibly detailed pieces can be put up in literally seconds with the perpetrator quickly fleeing the scene. This speed of execution allows almost unlimited scope for creativity with an execution time comparable to that of a few complex tags.What does this mean in terms of urban art? It has improved a lot and the new forms allow more impressive work to be put up with greatly reduced risk. This has only served to encourage a new breed of smarter, faster and more creative artists. The better quality of art may ultimately lead to improved public perception of graffiti artists in general and this can only be a good thing. If we wish to encourage future generations to have an interest in art, this might just be the best place to start. In conclusion, if it’s in the wrong place and has nothing to say then its vandalism, if it’s in the right place and speaks for itself then it is clearly art.

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