Best Visual Art - Graffiti
"Graffiti is revolutionary, in my opinion, and any revolution might be considered a crime. People who are oppressed or suppressed need an outlet, so they write on walls—it’s free." – Terrance Lindall, executive director of the Williamsburg Art and Historic Center
“I refer to them as vandals, because that is what they are. Make no mistake, they are not artists. Vandals are not interested in artistic expression, or social commentary, all they care about is getting their ‘ups’ all over the city.” -Lieutenant Mona, Anti-Graffiti Task Force.
Top 5 thing to be graffiti-ed in my city (acc to me) :
Bridge railings
Hoardings (who reads them anyways!.. it will be nice to look at!)
Sign Boards (no parking/ speed limit/speed breakers!)
Mumbai locals (any day better than blue/yellow/red/orange reliance posters!)
College compound walls
I am writing about graffiti 'coz i was browsing through a few articles and I came across extremely negative opinions about the same. It was completely misunderstood and it kinda pinched me.
Graffiti, for me, is an art form, something that is creative, innovative and raw. It may be because I hail from that stream. Mind you, for budding designers/designers, any form of art work hugs and welcomes you to a realm of new thoughts and ideas. Hence, I find graffiti or street graffiti very pioneering. Even though its renaissance graffiti, it has the touch that makes it NEW AGE. It’s something that used to be conducted in an absolutely atypical way (scratches and letters) which now has merged and altered to walls, spray paints and the-hip-hop-touch. Graffiti now, speaks to the youth first. Its bold, back-in-your-face, attractive and completely stylized. When it is on the walls, you can actually feel the freedom by which the artist has drawn. It’s not even half as close to painting on the canvas. Canvas is abstract and sensitive, graffiti is witty.
It’s somehow become the way to vent frustration about social and political issues. And especially when it’s related to such a subject, a subject that might hit them right under their belly, might actually make them realize, a subject that becomes offensive and critical. That’s when it becomes vandalism. As a result, these days’ graffiti is clamped under vandalism. It brings out highly polarized reactions from the urban dwellers. It’s “vulgar”,” flashy” and “obnoxious” it seems. Really? I don't understand why and how can’t an artist be a vandal? How about the early art and sculptures? Fairly decent and ‘cultured’ is it? It takes time to get accustomed to some change. At least these would be weird enough to make you stop and think.
Imagine a city totally graffiti-ed… the buildings, the streets, the walls, the hoardings, the signs, software companys, schools, commercial buildings!!... That’s when it’ll be a problem. What say?
Graffiti - a blessing in disguise?
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