Is it graffiti or street art?

Street art is any art developed in public spaces— that is, "in the streets" — though the term usually refers to art of an illicit nature, as opposed to government sponsored initiatives. The term can include traditional graffiti artwork, and street poster art, even video projection and street installations. Typically, the term Street Art or the more specific Post-Graffiti is used to distinguish contemporary public-space artwork from territorial graffiti, vandalism and corporate art. Graffiti is sometimes regarded as a form of art and other times regarded as unsightly damage or unwanted vandalism.

The motivations and objectives that drive street artists are as varied as the artists themselves. There is a strong current of activism and subversion in urban art. For some artists, street art can be a powerful platform for reaching the public. Some others simply see urban space as an untapped format for personal artwork, whereas some may appreciate the challenges and risks that are associated with installing illicit artwork in public places. However, the universal theme in most, if not all street art, is that adapting visual artwork into a format which utilizes public space, allows artists who may otherwise feel disenfranchised, to reach a much broader audience than traditional artwork and galleries normally allow.

Graffiti has existed since ancient times, with examples going back to ancient Greece and the Roman Empire. Graffiti can be anything from simple scratch marks to elaborate wall paintings. In modern times, spray paint and markers have become the most commonly used materials.

In most countries, defacing property with graffiti without the property owner's consent is considered vandalism, which is punishable by law. Sometimes graffiti is employed to communicate social and political messages. To some, it is an art form worthy of display in galleries and exhibitions, to others it is merely vandalism. There are many different types and styles of graffiti and it is a rapidly evolving artform whose value is highly contested, being reviled by many authorities while also subject to protection, sometimes even within the same jurisdiction.

On a recent trip around Asia we saw quite a bit of graffiti art and were able to catch a shot of some in a major stormwater drain near the central markets in Kuala Lumpur. Usually you are cruising past, but this time the train stopped, conveniently at a station. Perhaps if it were in an art gallery, art aficionados would stroll past and utter compliments.



































In January of this year, two graffiti vandals were killed when they were caught by floods in a stormwater drain in Sydney. Two men and a 21-year-old woman were spray-painting in the drain at Maroubra on a Sunday evening, when a storm hit the area. The drain filled with water and the trio was swept a kilometre to Lurline Bay. The woman and one of the men, aged 25, drowned, but a 27 year old man had a lucky escape when he squeezed through a gap in the drain's grate and was washed out to the middle of the bay.

Some would perhaps suggest that they gave their life practising their art. Perhaps like the turret artists of centuries ago, who often were only truly recognised after their deaths?