Yes, It is Illegal, But It is Art

Is it possible to appreciate graffiti art without taking away its authenticity?

BY: JINGSHU HELEN YAO

For a long time, I dare not to claim myself as a writer or poet. In my understanding, only those who were trained, certified, well-known, and recognized are qualified to call themselves writers. Until this day, I still doubt whether I devalue the word “writer” by applying it to myself.

Similarly, drawing and painting are centered on creative expression. The definition of art and artist thus also become blurry. One argument is that anyone can be an artist as long as they use artistic expression to create their work. The other side argues that one requires training and certification to become an artist, and the elite status of the term should be retained. 

In the middle of this discussion is whether Graffiti should be considered art. The concept of graffiti and street art are sometimes used interchangeably, and the difference often goes unnoticed by the general public.

Graffiti and Street Art in Toronto / Photo via Toronto.com

According to Quartz, graffiti and street art can be distinguished by the form, the creator, and the legality. Usually, street art is created by artists with formal training, taking elaborated image form, and created by commission. On the other hand, graffiti is created by untrained individuals, usually contains very simple graphics or words, and is illegal. 

For many graffiti artists, the illegality of graffiti is the backbone of its existence. The anti-commercialism and anti-authority ideas are what give graffiti its value. Merrill (2015) introduces the idea of graffiti subculture in the article “Keeping it real? Subcultural graffiti, street art, heritage and authenticity.” Merrill points out that graffiti artists mainly value among peers from the same subculture, while street artists usually target the general public as their audiences. Gabriel Lacktman, a former graffiti artist who later on went to receive formal art education, discusses the role of illegality and peer recognition played in graffiti art. In his visual essay “Growing up With Graffiti: Reflections on Transitioning from a Part-Time Felon to a Full-Time Artist, and Then Back Again,” Lacktman explained the ways graffiti artists gain fame among peers. The larger the graffiti is, the more eye-catching the location gets, the more valuable and successful it will be. Essentially, the value of a graffiti is in positive relation to how much risk the makers took to create it. Lacktman explained that for some, “getting caught is a trophy or a badge of honor. While getting a purple heart for being wounded in battle is a prestigious merit.” For others, including himself, getting away with graffiti is an accomplishment. Doing whatever he wanted and not getting arrested was a symbol of rebellion and freedom, which motivated him to continue.

Graffiti Tags / Photo via Cool Tour Spain

Lacktman also mentions the interesting phenomenon of the rejection of formal art training among the graffiti community. While he went to Massachusetts College of Art and Design to study fine art, most of his peers believed “art school is cheating.” They considered the untrained nature of graffiti a sign of its originality, whereas graffiti by college-educated artists made the competition unfair. 

Nonetheless, regardless of the level of education, or whether they received formal training, the artistic value of some graffiti works can not be denied. Art magazine The Monitor discussed the artistic merit and even social value of graffiti. Even with ongoing debates among artists and scholars, graffiti slowly gained more recognition for the important role it plays in urban culture. 

Over the years there were many attempts to introduce graffiti culture into cultural institutions, museums, and gallery spaces. Many institutions have made the attempt over the years. The Bronx Museum of the Arts’s exhibition José Parlá: It's Yours is one of the examples. Parlá’s contemporary art draws inspiration from graffiti art. Some took the format of large-scale murals and directly attributed them to the graffiti culture of New York City. José Parlá: It's Yours reflected on “redlining policies, the waves of displacement imposed by gentrification, and structural racism.” Parlá’s works are also highly influenced by hip-hop culture and the title of the exhibition is directly connected to a song by Bronx rapper T La Rock. 

Though graffiti originated from western urban culture, its influences can be seen all around the world. Post Contemporary - Urban Graphic 7019 is an exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art Shanghai. Aside from showing finished works, the exhibition also featured the ongoing process of creation. Some of the walls are left blank and artists are invited to recreate their original piece during the exhibition. This exposed visitors to the realistic process of graffiti making and bring them closer to the authentic experience of graffiti art.

Graffiti Removal by Paint-Over / Photo via Reddit

While these artists and exhibitions put up their best effort to recognize the role of graffiti art, the artists who participated in these conversations are mainly officially trained and well established. Even though many of them started from making graffiti and tagging as teenagers, they have transitioned out of that role. Like Lacktman stated in his virtual essay, after he got a serious job and a family to support, he simply can’t risk his freedom by staying up at night and painting a wall. Similarly, based on the definition of graffiti and the ideas they represent, introducing graffiti as a form of art in a gallery space would in turn devalue the works and their meaning. If graffiti artists are invited to paint a wall in an art gallery, does the practice make their work no different from the commissioned street art? In other words, is there a way to appreciate graffiti arts without destroying the special position they hold in our society?

Toronto Graffiti Alley / Photo via blogTo

In recent years, more experimental methods are being employed to recognize the work of graffiti artists outside the context of a formal museum space. “If Ya Don’t Know, Now Ya Know” is one episode of the virtual tours featured in Neighbourhood Walks organized by the Art Gallery of Ontario Youth Art Council. On October 28, 2020 Jehiel Douglas, a graffiti artist based in Scarborough led a virtual walk through the neighborhood while telling the story about graffiti art and showing the audiences the artworks along the way. His quote on the AGO website reads, 

“I find that a lot of the artists and non-artists I know have good or bad opinions about graffiti, but say they don’t understand graffiti at all; However, they’re always intrigued when I tell them about it. I think we’re only capable of appreciating something as much as we understand it.”

Douglas' perspective and narration allows the graffiti arts on display to retain its authenticity. While most of the works shown during the virtual tour are still considered illegal under the property law, this didn’t prevent the audience from appreciating the ideas and spirit behind it and the role it plays in our society.