Graffiti: Art or Vandalism?

[NPG]

I see graffiti as advertising or media that is not always art, but can be transformed by an artist into art. The act of graffiti can be lawful when given the apprpriate and sanctioned area to work, or unlawful with the mentioned vandalism. But tha is irrelevant to its artistic qualities.

This.

Graffiti is an art. If it happens to be drawn on private property then its also vandalism. But it could equally be drawn on walls designated for graffiti.

Either way its still an art. It doesn't lose its artistic qualities if its done on a house.

[paulbee]

Graffiti is the shit!
I've been practicing lately, bought a lot of plywood and practice on there, and not like, that gang stuiff graffiti, I mean real graffiti, the cool stuff

Hey Juice,

Why not post up some pics of your work here on MS?

[ydoc]

But thats what graffiti is. It's the kind of art that forces other people to look at it.

i think this statement captures the heart of what "Grafitti" really is. It is an art form that say look at me look at what i did pay attention to my acts. granted some of the art is bad some is good but painting something out in the open on someone elses property is saying out loud "I Want Attention" or "I hate you" one or the other =p.

[line]

Graffiti-style art is beautiful. But painting on something that isn't yours (such as a garage door or side of a building), then yes of course it's vandalism, but art nonetheless.

Agree...

And just like any other art...some are just crap..ramblings on someone else's walls...but others are real art...I know a group that does graffiti...They used to do their works at night to avoid police..but later on they were told to just ask permission from the government..and now, they just have to get a permit of some sort and they can paint on public walls...That's better...

[Itsu]

Depends!

If you spray "Fag" or some pen0r on a wall I wouldn't call it art.

If you really do create a piece of art on a dull and boring gray wall, and people want you to do it - it's ok!

[RedneckNoob]

As some people know, I live in a shit hole. I live in a trailer park that has an at least two arrests a week. I've got countless stories of shootings, massive police raids, and countless acts of destruction of property. Hell, my dad left the our van unlocked for 10 minutes while he went inside and we didn't have a radio anymore.

In this neighborhood that I live in, our trailers often get tagged by some gang with a name along the lines of "SSK". Not sure exactly what it means, nor do I really care. Once I even had to clean it off the side of my trailer.

I have a friend of mine that I've known since middle school. I've always thought of him as a simple but intelligent guy. He is a very artistic person. When I go downtown, I get to see many of his pieces of art on overpasses and in tunnels. Really great pieces that are lovely to look at.

Whether or not graffiti is art or vandalism depends on the intent behind the act. The spraying of "SSK" on my trailer was intended to warn others not to go near or they would be hurt. The painting of two people hugging under a bridge downtown was intended to relay a message and inspire feelings within those who look at it. Intent classifies many things in life. Killing is only murder if the intent is malicious.

When I took AP Lang in High School, we would have debates every Wednesday. One day the debate was this exact topic. My friend, the artist, spoke very adamantly that on balance, Graffiti is more art than vandalism. I would have to say that it's too subjective to classify it one or the other. There's artistic Graffiti and graffiti Vandalism. They're not mutually exclusive.