Vandalism

I really enjoyed this article and it's open non-biased take on the artistic side of graffiti. Often times people like to characterize graffiti as a simply destructive form of art, if even art at all, with hardly any value to the public. Being that I grew up in the presence of graffiti artists and my artistic identity is molded heavily by the types of works I've seen in urban settings, I've never been able to grasp the negative perception tied to graffiti or the social stigma around it, with people perpetuating the opinion that it has no value and minimizes the beauty of our urban landscape. As Banksy and Shepard Fairey have both stated before in various interviews/documentaries (although I think they're somewhat overrated) we do not have much of a say if any at all in regards to the media/advertisements our lives are subject to observing. If we do not get to decide whether we see ads, or what ads we see, why should anyone have the right to deny someone's desire to present the public with a work of art, or a creative piece that sparks a critical discussion. However, it seems that as of late there has been more of a widespread acceptance of street art and graffiti, as I have observed a far larger percentage of artists transitioning their exhibition spaces from the street to the gallery, with artists such as Revok, Doze Green, Craola, and NoseGo serving as forerunners for the movement and exemplifying the truly amazing capacity that "graffiti" artists have for creating one of a kind works. While I do find it troubling that galleries are now only beginning to accept the art of graffiti as a presentable art form because they understand it's profitability, it is still nice to see a more broad acceptance of diverse works of art.