Graffiti - your thoughts?

apeZ

apeZ

apeZ

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Inspired by the other thread about someone's stepdaughter being allowed to draw on the walls.

I'm not really sure what to make of graffiti. Not far from where I live, there is a small underpass that was previously undecorated, just white/cream paint. After a few years, quite a few graffiti artists have put their stuff up there, ranging from poems to Banksy-style pictures. Of course, there's the horrid looking scribbles too where people want to leave their 'tags', but on the whole, it brightens it up.

Now, personally, I don't have a problem with this. If they were scrawling on a persons property, or defacing signs or other people's artwork, I would. I can't really see the harm in people 'decorating' spots that are previously bland. There are other examples like Banksy who genuinely wants to create artwork; hell the guy has had exhibitions.

On the other hand, you could claim that they are defacing public (I use the term loosely) property and to some extent, I agree that graffiti can look horrible when done badly or just for the purpose of writing a swear word or leaving some sort of tag to show who has been there... but the other side of me sees it as an art form, illegal or not.

What do you guys and gals think?
 
There was a big bit of graffiti art done in Glasgow to make a fence blocking out a building site more interesting. The artwork was amazing, and I watched for a while whilst the guy sprayed it on. Unfortunately, after only a few weeks it was totally ruined by people 'tagging' it and just spraying rubbish on it. In the end, many of the panels were taken down as it just looked like a right mess. A big shame.
Graffiti, when done well, is great. When it's done bad it's really awful.
Interestingly, there is a proven link between graffiti and crime levels (look at the 'broken windows' idea from NYC) which would suggest we ought to be very anti it but it really depends on the graffiti. There is a fine line between mindless graffiti vandalism (unacceptable) and graffiti art (acceptable, and should be encouraged).
 
I collect art by modern British 'graffiti' artists - I can't get enough of it!
Obviously artists like Eelus / Xenz cannot be compared to people tagging the walls of your local corner shop - but it's all art! Long live creativity!
 
A lot of the murals around Northern Ireland have been done over and replaced with more tourist friendly peace time ones, but I think in an effort to cover the past, they're painting over some great works of art. I know not everyone wants paramilitary insignia the full gable end of a house... but I like it.
 
Here in Brighton there is a group of people who have permission from the Council to spray paint certain areas in the town centre. Their works are always really high quality and pretty interesting and any other graffiti is pretty much non existent, when someone who isn't in the 'group' tries to spray something on one of their areas they just paint over it or spray 'not welcome'.

I'm not sure how the word gets round or how it's enforced but it does seem to work, and definitely adds a unique flavour to some parts of town.
 
Pretty much the same sentiments as above, good graffiti can really get you thinking. More than most of the toss in the tate modern anyway. There's a guy called Daim who does really awesome work with shape and perspective.
 
I don't mind it as long as it's done somewhere it's allowed (I believe certain councils allow it in certain places?).

At the end of the day though, it should never be done where it's going to constitute criminal damage, as that's hardly fair to the person responsible for cleaning it up.
 
Ahleckz said:
There was a big bit of graffiti art done in Glasgow to make a fence blocking out a building site more interesting. The artwork was amazing, and I watched for a while whilst the guy sprayed it on. Unfortunately, after only a few weeks it was totally ruined by people 'tagging' it and just spraying rubbish on it. In the end, many of the panels were taken down as it just looked like a right mess. A big shame.
Graffiti, when done well, is great. When it's done bad it's really awful.
Interestingly, there is a proven link between graffiti and crime levels (look at the 'broken windows' idea from NYC) which would suggest we ought to be very anti it but it really depends on the graffiti. There is a fine line between mindless graffiti vandalism (unacceptable) and graffiti art (acceptable, and should be encouraged).
Click to expand...

ctrl + f broken windows. Wow you were quick to make the point.

I like nice graffiti art- there was some I was looking at in Cambridge earlier - really brightens up one of the streets. However the whole "tagging" thing just makes an area look awful and feel less secure.
 
Without doubt there are some seriously talented Graffiti artists, on the flip side basic tags to show you could reach the side of a bridge with a spray can, not so much...
 
I don’t mind a well done mural but most of the stuff you see is just so awful that the people doing it should have graffiti painted on the foreheads if caught.
 
Some of the Graffiti you see are works of art then idiots who have no talent come a long and cover it with tags
 
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