The interpretation of both street art and vandalism is relative and the line between those two is generally vague. It cannot be denied graffiti IS a form of art namely public art, though at the same time it is categorised as ‘artless’ art due to its nature. According to the law any form of defacing public or private properties without permission is defined as illegal and therefore is an act of vandalism, yet can commissioned works of street art ever be defined as graffiti? Graffiti is supposed to act against the system, not go with it and conform to given projects, but then who is to define it? Isn’t it a natural process of evolution of art? Should it be categorised as conceptual art? Can legal and illegal street art ever coexist in the minds of those who produce? And finally where do YOU think is the line between street art and vandalism?
During my research I pulled out a few extracts from books on the topic of street art, demonstrating what those who photograph, study and create it think of it:
Banksy:
“Despite what they say graffiti is not the lowest form of art. Although you might have to creep about at night and lie to your mum, it’s actually one of the more honest art forms available. there is no elitism or hype, it exhibits on the best walls a town has to offer and nobody is put off by the price of admission. A wall has always been the best place to publish your work. the people who run our cities dont understand graffiti because they think nothing has the right to exist unless it makes a profit, which makes their opinion worthless. They say graffiti frightens people and is symbolic of decline in society, but graffiti is only dangerous in the mind of three types of people: politicians, advertising executives and graffiti writers. The people who truly deface our neighbourhoods are the companies that scrawl giant slogans across building and buses trying to make us feel inadequate unless we buy their stuff. they expect to be able to shout their message in your face from every available surface but you’re never allowed to answer back. Well, they started the fight and the wall is the weapon of choice to hit them back. Some people become cops because they want to make the world a better place. some people become vandals because they want to make the world a better looking place.” [Banksy, Wall and Piece]
Richard Goldstein:
“Because of its anti-social vibe, graffiti cannot be mass-marketed. Nor does it appreciate in value like sanctioned art. It stands outside the art world as well as the culture of the media and the mall. As a result graffiti retains its original potential to speak the truth of the tag- which is the truth of invention, the truth of transgression, the truth of the created and creative self. And it speaks this truth to power.” [Goldstein R, Born in the Street- Graffiti]
King Pin:
“I believe that art has to be in the streets and, if it is necessary, against the law and not in a gallery or in the museum where nobody sees it and where it has an economic undertone.” [Chalfant H, Pigoff J, Spraycan Art]
Matthew Lunn:
“Can legal graffiti be defined as graffiti? Your answer will depend on your perception of street art. The public often considers legal pieces as a clever art and illegal pieces as vandalism. On the other hand, street artists themselves will regard legal walls as ‘soft’ as there is no risk in generating th work.” [Lunn M, Street Art Uncut]
At the same time I decided to see what public thinks of the subject which allowed me to get an insight into a regular citizen’s point of view:
Name: Wojciech
Occupation: 6th Form Student
“ I do think there is certain fine line between the two.When someone writes “fuck bitches” it’s clearly vandalism not art. However some graffiti is really good looking and has a deeper message behind it so not all graffiti is vandalism. Yeah? But where is the line? I have no idea really. If I had to guess i would say that the line is so thin that almost non-existent. Legally speaking graffiti is wrong. ANY graffiti.”
Name: James
Occupation: Unemployed
“The line is the part where it negatively affects other people, where people find it intrusive on their daily life… I don’t really know.”
Name: Eddy
Occupation: Fine Art Student
“Well all vandalism depends on whether the law or the councilor whoever deems it to be. Dunno. You shouldn’t really draw on someone’s property without asking that’s vandalism but if I was a real writer I wouldn’t give a fuck so I dunno if I would call it art or vandalism. It’s a hard one really.”
Name: Joseph
Occupation: Retired
“Low class young people are always attracted to the rush of whatever is illegal. They mindlessly deface properties with signatures no-one can read anyway and then their own taxes are used to remove them from the walls. That’s what I call vandalism. You will notice that as the society declines, more and more of those mindless signatures go on the walls of the neighbourhood. But yes, I am proud to have seen some nice examples too. They are often places in the back streets on the backs of the houses and look like they carry some message which makes them more acceptable. I have heard of Banksy. He painted something on my friend’s house in Manchester. It was rather pretty. It wasn’t vulgar and looked considered. They painted over it before they sold the house. That’s the kind of thing I don’t really mind.”
Name: Emily
Occupation: Free Spirit
“Hmm I think graffiti is a well thought out and designed piece, and vandalism is when people just want to deface somebody’s property for no apparent reason with crap stuff.”
Name: Anonymous
Occupation: Unknown
(posted through Facebook): “I think there´s no line. I don´t like simple non-style tags/extinguisher paintings/scratching or something else myself, but it is graffiti I think. With today’s politics, vandalism is also art, it’s a creative way to shout out: It´s enough you bastards!”
Name: Jade
Occupation: Fine Art Student
“Personally I find there to be a fine line between what people associate vandalism as for me. The line has to be drawn at the unnecessary destruction of an individual’s property that they worked hard for. I understand that conceptually there can be great purpose for creating ‘art’ on a truck or a front door and I feel I can appreciate the messages sometimes sent, however if it was my car that was vandalised I think I would not have this appreciation as much.”
Name: Lauren
Occupation: Fashion Student
“Street art tends to be more political and about current affairs, showing the artist’s views and opinions, whereas in my opinion vandalism is just a quick bit of “fun” for the “chavs”, who find themselves with nothing better to do than sign their name across a wall. You can always tell what is street art and what is just plainly vandalism, the difference being that the art has a meaning behind it.”
TheExperimentumCrucis 