The Rise of Street Art as a Mainstream Cultural Phenomenon

The Subculture Of Street Art
Tyler MatasMatas 1
SCL191SC
October 6, 2014
Cindy Chivsen
The Subculture of Street Art
In today's society street art has managed to reach every country worldwide. In the film "Exit Through The Gift Shop" a film by a street artist named
Banksy that tells the story about Thierry Guetta a French man who lives in Los Angles that falls in love with the subculture and films the life known
as graffiti or to some people that love it, it is known as street art. Thierry shows the different artist and ways he explains how the subculture of street
art is taking over and how the art is being looked at in the wrong way. Street art is on its way of being a huge new worldwide trend as it is on its way
of becoming a mainstream culture. Graffiti to artist is not a term anymore, as the culture is now referred to street art it means something to the people
that is now becoming a mass popular culture. Thierry Guetta a man who was happy with is comfortable living vintage clothing store was getting
introduced to the new world of street art that his cousin the "Invader" brought him in to when he travelled to France.
In the world of street art most artists try to keep themselves anonymous. Thierry got to introduce himself with many artists. For example, Shepard
Fairey who was a very well–known artist that came from the skateboarding scene who knew Thierry's cousin Invader. Invader then takes a trip to visit
Thierry in Los Angles and goes to meet with Shepard Fairey. Thierry
Matas
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The True Value of Street Art Essay
Mention the word graffiti and what typically comes to mind is something unpleasant and distasteful like indecent language scribbled on a wall of a
store or crude pictures. Most graffiti is characterized as vandalism on property that does not belong to the culprit. Graffiti also displays negative
graphics that promote some type of vulgar message such as violence, sex, drugs, gangs, and racism. On the other hand, when the terms "street" and
"art" come together, a blast of colorful creations upon blank slates on the street comes to mind. Although street art is technically considered graffiti, it is
a type of graffiti with positive qualities, but certain figures in society find street art to be, in some way, disruptive. If used properly,...show more
content...
City officials say street art to be a "public nuisance that degrades the quality of life in neighborhoods and communities across the city" (Costello). The
amount of street art creates an image about the city that the city officials believe is negative and displeasing. Finally, critics believe as well as
damaging property, street art can encourage gangs to continue with their tagging methods, thus upholding gang related activity. After the "Art in the
Streets" exhibit in Los Angeles, "an apparent increase in vandalism in the local area" created controversial speculation (Greiner). The show casing of
street art and graffiti sent out a message to other artists that basically stated the approval of street art and graffiti.
However, in the recent years, street art remains a valuable form of art due to morphing into a cultural trait. Tracing the roots of the street art that
exists today, people have been leaving their marks on walls for centuries ("Tracing the Roots..."). Many of the pieces have been recovered, valued,
and treasured, serving to carry on a message left behind. Culture has altered and changed over the years, and now, society has what is street art
today, stemming from art created years ago. The rise of the art movement did not come about until the 1980s and gave way to the 1990s. Most
notably, San Franciso's TWIST and New York's COST and REV begin to work out of traditional graffiti by adding

Essay on Modern Street Art vs. Graffiti
Modern street art and graffiti are undeniably tied together. Graffiti could be considered the forefather of street art in many ways– it has paved the way
for the development of modern street art. Yet, while both are still hotly debated topics, street art is seen in a more positive light while graffiti is still
considered to be a negative term. Graffiti is associated with the vandalism that the government desperately wanted to erase. Graffiti has played a huge
role in the development of street art that we all know today. Conklin notes this in her paper. She describes graffiti as an exclusive world that only
those inside the group are privy to. However, to Conklin, street art is made accessible to all in that it is not necessarily exclusive...show more content...
To the youths of the time period, graffiti was their way of announcing their presence to those who they felt would not acknowledge them. Graffiti was
an outlet for the unrepresented youths. Because the city lacked the funds, it lacked the power to remove graffiti at the time. By challenging the
authorities, the graffiti artists established that they could work well outside of the social norms for art. They did not need education in the forms of
"higher art", and this made it difficult for people outside of the graffiti culture to understand the taggers and their work.
In addition to these problems, graffiti lacked the large audience other forms of art had. Their pieces on the subway cars, the ones that had captured the
city's attention, had been destroyed. According to Margo Thompson, "Another reason these artists are often overlooked s graffiti's strong association
with hip–hop culture, which ties it to the mass market, not high art."(American Graffiti, pg.7) However, the entire background for the graffiti of the
time may have been lost if it had not been for Martin Wong. Wong had been working at Pearl Paint and had befriended some young graffiti artists at
the time. He collected their drawings, paintings and sketchbooks. Later on, Wong founded the Museum of American Graffiti in the East Village, but
this museum was short lived. In 1994, Wong, who was suffering from AIDS, donated the goods to

Street Art Essay Topics
Street art is visual art created in public locations, usually unsanctioned artwork executed outside of the context of traditional art venues. The term
gained popularity during the graffiti art boom of the early 1980s and continues to be applied to subsequent incarnations. Stencil graffiti, wheatpasted
poster art or sticker art, and street installation or sculpture are common forms of modern street art. Video projection, yarn bombing and Lock On
sculpture became popularized at the turn of the 21st century.
The terms "urban art", "guerrilla art", "post–graffiti" and "neo–graffiti" are also sometimes used when referring to artwork created in these contexts.
Traditional spray–painted graffiti artwork itself is often included in this category, excluding territorial graffiti or pure vandalism.
Artists who choose the streets as their gallery are often doing so from a preference to communicate directly with the public at large, free from perceived
confines of the formal art world. Street artists sometimes present socially relevant content infused with esthetic value, to attract attention to a cause or
as a form of "art provocation". Common variants include adbusting, subvertising and other culture jamming, the abolishment of private property and
reclaiming the streets.
Some street artists use "smart vandalism" as a way to raise awareness of social and political issues. Other street artists simply see urban space as an
untapped format for personal artwork, while others may

Sociology Street Art
Art it is often vague and subjective, however it is constantly present in society and unknowingly influences our cultural identity. Some of the most
common examples are as obvious as paintings or obscure as graphic logos. Art plays a major role in society; it connects people in communities to
cultivate the culture of our society and generation. It truly embodies the people in a time period in a distinct and unique way. Its abilities extend
beyond mere looks, art is able to provide society with a sense of familiarity with common graphics, a connection with others that share similar
interests, and a way to spark movements through activism. America is a place of capitalism and the idea of "supply and demand," which has created
the opportunity for companies to create logos that become so distinctive they are common knowledge. Although many would disregard logos, they are
a form of art because they are graphic designs that are creatively...show more content...
This type of art is essential because it provides a means to spread a message to the masses to spark peoples concern for the cause represented in the
image. Banksy is well–known for his anonymous street art. They are often produced in specific public places in order to reach his target audience.
These public places provide a space to highlight controversies within our society, it is simply another form of protest through an artistic platform.
There is a particular artwork in Los Angeles that depicts a child with a gun loaded with crayons to represent the still–existing problem of child soldiers.
This straightforward picture has deeper meaning. It sheds light on the controversial topic of the usage of child soldiers to inspire people to ponder and
further look beyond and to understand the issue creating awareness in order to ultimately constitute

Research Paper On Street Art
Street art is a visual art created in public locations. From tags to murals, street art is everywhere; and has gone mainstream. It can be humorous or
thought provoking and sometimes considered by some people a distraction to the environment. Street art has been popular in many places because of
how they convey messages to everyone through art. But obviously, not everyone will like it. There are reasons why street art should be considered.
And that's what we're going talk about. Whether it is regarded as vandalism or public art, street art exhibits self–expressive artwork, shows artistic skill
and catches the interest of the art world. Street art is a type of art that we can only find in streets or abandoned places. There are lots of reasons why it
should be acceptable. Firstly, street art exhibits self–expressive artwork. A street artist usually tries to leave some kind of message like political issues,
feelings and their emotions. And these are exposed in the street where all the people can evaluate them. As an artist, I find street art...show more
content...
Therefore it became popular in many places and even on the internet. Today, many people are talking about street art. There are many art featuring
pages including street art official, juxtapoz, fructose mag, powwow worldwide etc. And because these artworks are publicly exposed, most people
tend to like these expressive works or art While others dislike it. Some people often eradicate street art because it is perceived as vandalism.
Whether public or private property, with a permission traditional painted street art is considered as public art otherwise it's a vandalism. However,
there are some artists who painted on walls without permission and managed to invoke interests of people with clever use of conveying a message, as
well as having themselves glorified as legit and socially conscious

The Pros And Cons Of Street Art
Since the very beginning, People have reached realities thanks to the fact that art is in daily life. Therefore art become so considerable part of life in
short time. It helps our senses to explain, understand and live .There are a lot of kinds of art in the world. However, street art is the most controversial
type of art. Some people consider street art is vandalism but some people have opposite ideas. Art is associated with feelings and street art is sound of
the people who is plebeian. It has a different language. In this research paper, I will argue that disparate artistic perspectives and misunderstandings are
two considerable reasons why people see street art as a vandalism.
The initial reason why people think street art is vandalism...show more content...
Initially, Street artists do not care how much they cause harm in the surroundings where they are performing their arts. If street artists want to paint
anywhere, they will not get permission from owners or government. Street artists do not consider about whether people will want to see here or be
annoyed owing to my work. According to Wilde 2013, street arts seem innocuous and not to damage anybody. Street arts will be funny but they are
only calamity for landlords owing to the fact that landlords obliged to neaten their properties and this case causes waste a lot of money. On the other
hands, Street artists are not conscious that they produce a harmful effect on teens. They exhibit wrong ideological and anarchist stance in their life and

Importance Of Street Art
The best street art in the world you just have to check out (–– removed HTML ––)
Street art is one of those things that brings character to a city. It shows everyone that the city has a vibrant culture and community. It's something that
residents can take pride in. Street art is also a great tourist attraction. People love to look at art, and the best part about street art is that it's free. Here is
some of the best street art in the world that you just have to check out.
Mexico City, Mexico
Mexico City has some of the best street art in the world. They have many different public murals that have historical significance. It's a great way to
immortalize and teach residents about their history. Plus, since they're murals, they're completely free to look at. To get the murals painted there was a
plan put in place called "All City Canvas" which allowed artists to get the correct permits and they worked with the government to ensure this project
got off the ground. The results are completely outstanding.
(–– removed HTML ––)
(earthporm.com)
AngoulГЄme, France
AngoulГЄme, France is probably not high on many people's travel lists – in fact, we're going to bet that you've never actually heard of the town until
you read this post. The town is home to the European School of Visual Arts, and many of its students practice their arts in large format– such as on a
building wall. The city is therefore a huge gallery exhibit of different artists working on their art and the results

Graffiti Art Or A Crime? Essay
Is graffiti an art or a crime? There is much controversy that surrounds graffiti even though some people may feel graffiti is an act of vandalism. I feel
that graffiti is one of the most interesting expressions of art. "Art is defined as the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination"
(Lloyd 1) Graffiti is an art because it uses key elements of art. These elements include color, line and form. These elements are all included in both
traditional art and graffiti. Graffiti artists all over are expressing their feelings through their artwork. It allows people who cannot express themselves
through words to establish their various views for everyone to see whether their feelings are negative or positive. Graffiti conveys a message or a
story through their artwork. It is a means to communicate with each other without the use of words. When most people think of graffiti, they imagine
"tags," or a stylized writing of a person 's name. "While tags are probably the most popular forms, graffiti art is much more than that" (Sanchez).
Many people do not realize that graffiti is not limited to just a single surface on a two–dimensional plane. Street art can also be three dimensional
objects. This could include transforming an everyday object and cleverly changing it into something completely different. Personally, this is one of the
most interesting aspects of graffiti because there are no limitations to what it is and what it can be.
Ever since

Street Art, By Nicholas Alden Riggle
Street art is critical to remaining in the street as if it is removed and put into a gallery, the whole message and purpose is lost. Street art being in
public spaces is an essential component to the artists expressing their message across to everyday peoples. If the art work is created from street
materials "then its use of the street is internal to its meaning;/ as a result, most pieces need not be placed in a gallery" (Riggle). Nicholas Alden Riggle's
also states that "pulling them from the streets the curator eliminates their material use of the street, thereby destroying their meaning and status as street
art" (Riggle). It is assumed that the artists responsible for creating street art believe deeply that "art should lift us out of

Street Art: Crime or Art?
What is Street Art?
Street art is arguably classed as Urban Art and also known as Contemporary Art.
This form of Art represents the voice of the lower class in debate with the political class, they express themselves with sprays on plaster and endure
'A life spent scribbling in books scrambling over walls and fences, scrawling on any available surface'. It is today accepted by designers and artists
who also are influenced by these contemporary visualised forms, this form of contemporary art has changed the views of many and has given society
its own taste of mixed, demanding, and subjected opinions. This worldwide craze of 'innovative styles' craved attention of many.Graffiti artists like
Banksy, Twist and Basquiat resulted in...show more content...
Posters and other public signs could also be understood as various forms of street art, it is important for posters to stand out and convey there own
messages individually; this is exactly what graffiti does.
Overall street art is it crime or purely art?
Street art is considered as a crime but however this 'crime' sees to be seen as 'cool' and highlights voices within a particular community concerned bout
themes of racism, politics, discrimination, social equality, and the right of humans.
If it were to be suggested that the writers of street art were banned is society then at risk of bigger crimes being committed in relation to voices not
being heard?
Although we can relate this so called 'Art' to wide range of attitudes within society,
Is it not then a successful idea of knowing what people of certain societies want for these political leaders to effectively deal with.
I personally view street art as a source of Art representation with meanings appealing to those people placed in the roots of the lower classes; it is
these people who react vigorously within public behind hidden doors to express what they have been put through. I do strongly think that successful
individuals like Banksy and Basquiat are those voices of society that have spoken out and raised important issues that many people like them would
have wanted to raise, it

A Street Art Analysis
This is a street art on Alberta street near Bank slater at the bus stop downtown. I chose this image because it shows the struggles and difficulties that
happened in the past which can be related to slaves, discrimination, and racism that a lot of people from different ethnicity or background faced in their
lives in the past. To me, the ship represents an escape and way victims of discrimination, racism comes out of their hidden place for the people that
faced these challenges in their life. My attention was captured on this image because it explains the past, future, and things that happen to us in our
everyday life within our society we live. This image reflects the change of slavery interpretation and racism view especially in the United

Street Art And Graffiti
Street art and graffiti has grown increasingly popular worldwide in the last few decades. This is because street artists are given the opportunity to
showcase their ideas and opinions freely, and do not allow themselves to be limited by regulations of the law or public opinion. Street artists can
express the unpopular opinion without worry that they will be punished for it, as these artists often work anonymously. According to Michael DeNotto
from St. Mary's University of Minnesota, street art allows the artist to "reject established standards, encourage experimentation, and draw from
popular culture and advertising" (Street Art and Graffiti, 1). They are given the canvas of public property such as sidewalks and building walls to
create art pieces that can be viewed by potentially anyone. However, the fact that the audience for street art is so vast can also lead to disagreements
about the content or location of the art, and difference in opinion between the artist and the viewers.
Street art can be used as a method of openly expressing opinions on controversial matters, such as war, laws, public figures, social issues, and more.
In Street Art San Francisco by Annice Jacoby, there are several art pieces depicting anguish and disapproval. There is a mural of a person crying
over loved ones who have past away, with the words, "Those We Love, We Remember." There is another painted across a fence, depicting the lives
affected by the AIDS epidemic in Africa. Across the bottom,

Lorraine O Grady Research Paper
Olivia Myura
October 16, 2015
Studio Museum/Street Art Project
Lorraine O'Gradys' unintentionally historic performances, seemingly elevate everyday life to the status of art. In her 'exhibit' at the Studio Museum,
her work is represented through photographs, in 'Art is...'. Thirty years ago, O'Grady presented 'Art is' in the form of a float in the African American
Day Parade right here in Harlem. Performers pranced with empty frames, metaphorically capturing fleeting pictures of the people and places that
surrounded the route of the parade. By doing so, the trappings of high art were brought out of the museum, into the street, which promotes a new way
people might begin to recognize this new art form in the celebrations of every day life. The...show more content...
However, the "live" is still typically absent. As the audience for this kind of art, we are always complicit in its meaning. This ringing especially true
to any sort of "live" performance. With artworks such as this, one has to allow for themselves to be changed in response to the stimuli. O'Grady
pushed the limits when it came to identity in her pieces, she went against the norm and decided to be different. Others chose to intervene into public
spaces such as the street, or in this case a parade, to instigate a conversation between the viewer and performer – as one, they work together to allow for
later viewers to understand the motif and the

Street Art And Art Vandalism
Street Art; an endless debate on whether people should consider the form of art vandalism or a part of the Fine Arts movement. Street Art (also
known as "Graffiti") first appeared in the beginning of human society and prehistoric times with inscriptions, hieroglyphics and figure drawings found
in walls, caves, and monuments from Egyptian times as well as ancient Rome. According to Wikipedia, this form of expression can be defined as
writings, paintings, drawings, symbols or scribbling on a surface such as walls, pavements, monuments, and other public or private properties. A new
developing art form with a lot of controversy, Graffiti has grown and become known for the illegality behind the making of the art. Many see Street Art
and tend to attribute vandalism to the art form due to all the negativity that has gone around in regards to Graffiti. Individuals who are part of the
authority system or close minded have the tendency to be the ones who believe that any form of art displayed on public walls can be considered
nothing more than vandalism, while those who see the artworks as a form of Art are the ones who can see behind the illegality and are usually
individuals who are open minded or keen to all types of Art. Should individuals retire the negative thoughts and criminality behind Street Art and finally
recognize the form as a legitimate art form while leaving Graffiti out ?
According to Aylmer Maude's translation of Tolstoy's What Is Art? in her blog Art and

The Identity And Street Art
Identity and Street Art
Michaila Forte
"An empty wall is an empty population" – Anonymous
Abstract
Street art emphasizes communal engagement, public activism, and awareness all while being an integrated part of a city. Social media is one of the
most important tools to connect people in our lives, especially in today's youth culture. Our group is interested in investigating the relationship between
identity and media. We are approaching this question in three main ways: street art, gentrification, and social media posts. One of the main points of
both social media and street art is broadcasting a message to a larger audience. We want to analyze these messages, the artists, and the audience to see
what they reveal about overall identity in Berlin. I am specifically focusing on the role of the identity of the artist and what that brings to the
understanding of art. YiShi is comparing and contrasting minority communities and gentrification to see what that reveals about the overall Berlin
identity. Finally, Emerson is analyzing cultural identity, which he defined as part of the "self
–conception and self–perception nationality to ethnicity,
religion, social class, generation, locality and any kind of social group that has its own distinct culture" (Deshmukh 600) and applying it as a
comparative look between America and Germany. All three of our specific topics are prominently cemented by the concept of identity through the lens
of art and expression. Although all of

Street Art Research Paper
The Validity of Street Art as a Catalyst for Political and Social Change
Introduction
Street art and graffiti are two different styles of urban art, and yet they still hold some of the same characteristics. After all, street art was born out of
graffiti, and an article in Huffington Post described their relationship in the clearest way: "Graffiti was the template, the means, the method. Street art
adopted all of this and pushed the boundaries of what outside art can be, going beyond anything achieved during the Golden Age of graffiti's early
evolution " (McCarthy). In every city, there is evidence of graffiti and street art, both legal and illegal. Street art includes more "art–like" styles, with
more imagery than just words. Because of the...show more content...
The main two artists that will be looked at are Shepard Fairey and Blek le Rat. Although these two artists have very different styles of art, they are
connected by the fact that they take inspirations from social or political dialogue. Fairey is a street artist located in New York, with a following
comparable to Banksy. I chose him because he is from South Carolina, and he's also one of the most well known street artists. He has created his own
brand based off of art he created in college, and this brand is very controversial in the street art community. The other artist I will be examining is Blek
le Rat, who is known as the "father of stencil graffiti" (Walde, 42). Anyone who sees Le Rat's art immediately thinks of Banksy, as their styles are very
similar. Banksy's art is based off of Le Rat's, and yet he is not as well known. For my own product, I will be analyzing these two artist's work,
specifically Fairey's Obama Hope poster, and Le Rat's Homelessness series. These two pieces are more geared towards activism, which is the main idea
of this project. For my own product, I will be creating two pieces, one based on a social issue, and one on a political issue. I've decided that I will
be doing one piece on ovarian cancer, which has affected my aunt. The idea behind it is that it will show both my sister (who cut her hair for my aunt)

The Rise of Street Art as a Mainstream Cultural Phenomenon

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The Rise of Street Art as a Mainstream Cultural Phenomenon