written by art historian & curator Mihaela Manolache for LEVEL
Street art, mural art, urban art, or graffiti are several definitions describing mainly the same thing: visual creations on walls, windows, columns, pillars, and many other corners belonging to both public and private spheres. Normally, public artistic creations are welcomed by society. But this genre is not yet accepted by all parties. By pursuing an artistic desire, some artists risk being arrested or get fined. Other artists work only at nighttime when the dark is hiding their identity.
So why is graffiti such a debated issue? Why is graffiti, if it has such a strong illegal component, still attractive to artists? As a matter of fact, if graffiti works are perceived as something negative, are their creators still artists or vandals? The question ” Is graffiti vandalism or art?” arises in societies across the globe. To their creators, graffiti is an expression of creativity, of personal identity, of being part of some sort of underground culture. It seems that the excitement mixed with anxiety describes a rebellious attitude of the creators aimed at a precise target. Sometimes the possibility of being arrested is also luring the artists into this activity.
From a larger point of view, street art is an artistic manifestation with powerful social content revealing times of…
