from
Sydney Morning Herald -
Don't shoot the Texta messengers
go to article
Steve Grody's new illustrated book
Graffiti L.A. is out now.
I confess - I have a thing for graffiti. It all began when my to-die-for lecturer talked about graffiti in one of my urban geography classes. From there, street arts and graffiti have always been on my outlook lens. Living in clean, (almost)utopian suburbia of Singapore, there aren't many chances to meet street arts so much often. In fact, before uni, I didn't know how "graffiti" look like. Maybe there was some underground making of provocative street art going on but they weren't unlikely to make friendly headlines in the mainstream media in Singapore. We are simply taught that tagging on public properties is strictly unlawful. And in whole wide world, graffiti is labeled as an anti-social activity in the orthodox urban planning dictionary.
While in Sydney, i witnessed many impressive graffiti works whose forms transcended into "bold, colourful designs as beautification of locations that will normally considered urban blight." Those expressions tales a whole lots of social problems which many cities are facing - poverty, social marginalisation, political struggle, self-identity, masculinity etc. Behind each mural carries significant tales, as much as John Denver missed his countrytown while singing his "Country Road"!
"Surf or Die" , 2006
- undying passion of surfing culture in Australia
"I've a dream", 2006
-the aboringinals' longing for peace while struggling with the present urbanity.
The role of "place" put graffiti in another debate. I don't know any museums that have housed graffiti works but its art identity has been always been contested under a spatial art-political regime. I ask:
- Is graffiti an art creation? Is this "out-of place" form simply not an art?
- Will its status quo be redefined as an "art" only if it enters into the "sacred spaces" of a art gallery? from out-of-ghetto image to the high-end art....?
- will its meaning change under a process of displacement from its street ghetto to the art gallery?
I await comments, responses and those who already have a read on the new book. Peace.
.
