Graffiti As A Form Of Art, Not Vandalism

Arguably one of the best animated movies of the year, Spiderman: Into the Spider-Verse had it all: a non-mainstream superhero, Post Malone, and most noticeably, a level of unprecedentedly detailed and varied animation art, often in a single frame. Equally impressive was the abundance of graffiti that peppered the protagonist’s hometown. This restarted the conversation about this unusual art form that effectively straddles the fine line of being outside and inside the norm of what is considered mainstream in the modern art world. What makes graffiti interesting is the fact that its presence falls well out of the boundaries containing the art pieces you would typically see in a museum. Not only does graffiti so evidently lack the standard glass casings you would see enclosing expensive art pieces, graffiti’s sense of intrigue is largely credited to the way it continues to advocate the unusual marriage of anonymity and celebrity. Graffiti artists themselves have preferred to remain largely anonymous, using tags or pseudonyms to trace their works as roadmaps over cities; an anomaly in an industry where identity brings fortune. However, it is this anonymity that has transformed graffiti into something much stronger than crude teenage vandalism – a modern day war cry.

Because the world has forfeited its willingness to listen to anything other than its own mirror, the facelessness that is often associated with graffiti has effectively helped us judge or, if we’re really lucky, truly understand an artist’s work, devoid of any prejudice or stigma that we may have against the artist himself. While the urge to create has always transcended the boundaries of class, race, gender, and ethnicity, graffiti allows us to see it exactly as it is – art stripped of any preconceived notions, where our experiences alone shape our opinions about the piece, making them unique to each viewer. Into the Spider-Verse’s Miles Morales used his graffiti exactly as expected of an artistic teenager when given a mask (here, quite literally) behind which to hide his identity, and served as a perfect example of how anonymity doesn’t necessarily indicate loss of creative individuality. The concept of space and ownership is central to the identity of street art, and the authenticity and availability of graffiti as a public art form acts as an invitation to both conversation and participation; a far cry from the mass produced commercial imagery that often masquerades as ‘creative’ art. This characteristic is what made graffiti a flagbearer of identity, empowerment and politics, because it in no way limits what can be said, who is saying it, and where it is being said; with artists not shying away from using canvases ranging from reclaimed subway cars to government building walls, or even painting an elephant in the Philadelphia zoo. The one-sided graffiti prevalent on the Berlin Wall serves as a symbol of repression versus liberty of expression in a way no political pamphlet could have ever done.

Modern history has seen graffiti turn into a medium for many things – art, political comedy, rebellion, propaganda or even downright blasphemy. While many would argue against the validity of graffiti as a form of art, describing it akin to vandalism and dismissing it just as such, it is as much a part of the art world as the slashed canvases that grace a modern art exhibit. It is thought-provoking, clever and forces you to stop and stare, and if you are not triggered, is it even art?