Debate: Graffiti - art or vandalism?
Side: Vandalism

Tagging, the practice of writing your name or handle in prominent or impressive positions, is akin to a dog marking its territory; it’s a pissing contest. It is also an act of ownership. Genuine street art does not aim at ownership, but at capturing and sharing a concept. Street art adds to public discourse by putting something out into the world; it is the start of a conversation.The ownership of a space that is ingrained in vandalism is not present in street art. In fact, street art has a way of opening up spaces as public. Street art has a way of inviting participation, something that too few public spaces are even capable of.Marketing vandalsIf vandalism is abhorrent because it attempts to own public space, then advertising is vandalism.The billboards that line our streets, the banner ads on buses, the pop-ups on websites, the ads on our TVs and radios, buy and sell our public spaces. What longer lasting sex? A tasty beverage? To be young, beautiful, carefree, cutting edge, and happy? For only $24.95 (plus postage)!Advertising privatises our public spaces. Ads are placed out in the public strategically. They are built to coerce, and manipulate. They affect us, whether we want them to or not. But this is not reciprocated.We cannot in turn change or alter ads, nor can we communicate with the company who is doing the selling. If street art is the beginning of a conversation, advertising is the end. Stop talking, stop thinking – and buy these shoes!Ads v graffitiWe are affronted by ads. They tell us we are not enough. Not good enough, not pretty enough, not wealthy enough.At its worst, graffiti is mildly insulting and can be aesthetically immature. But at its best, it can be the opening of a communal space: a commentary, a conversation, a concept captured in an image on a wall. Genuine street art aims at this ideal.Street art by Ghostpatrol in Brisbane. Paul CunninghamAt its best, advertising is an effective way of informing the public about products and services. At worst, advertising is a coercive, manipulative form of psychological warfare designed to trick us into buying crap we don’t need with money we don’t have.What surprises me is that the people who find vandalism in the form of tagging and neon dicks highly offensive have no problem with the uncensored use of our public spaces for the purposes of selling stuff.What art can doIf art is capable of anything in this world, it is cutting through the dross of everyday existence. Art holds up a mirror to the world so that we can see the absurdity of it. It shows us who we really are, both good and bad, as a community.Ian WhitfieldStreet art has an amazing ability to do this because it exists in our real and everyday world, not vacuum-sealed and shuffled away in a privileged private space. Its very public nature that makes street art unique, powerful, and amazing.If we as a community can recognise the value in street art, we can begin to address it as a legitimate expression. When we value street art as art, we can engage with it as a community and help to grow it into something beautiful.When street art has value, our neon dicks stop being a petty and adolescent attempt at ownership, and become mere vandalism. When we value our public spaces as places where the we can share experiences, we will start to see the violence that is advertising as clearly as the dick on the back of a bus shelter.Graffiti is illegal and shouldn't be done. If the person is so interested in painting on buildings and other property, they should do it on paper and murals. Then I would call it art. Doing something illegal should not be called artistic and beautiful in any way, shape or form. It is wrong and shouldn't be done. Everything beautiful should be right.Posted by: Breeanna_Bear Report PostLike Reply Challenge111Graffiti is NOT art! Even if your Picasso graffitying on someobody elses land is not art and you shold not be able to do it! Its a waste of space and destroys beautiful buildings and landscapes! Sure it might look nice but its ruining beatiful places by pointless drawings! It is Not art at all!Report PostLike Reply08Graffiti is not art, it's vandalism! I hear people all the time try to excuse graffiti as art. But the truth is that it's vandalism and destruction of other people's property. Someone may like graffiti and consider it an art form. And they try to use the definition of art to excuse it. But those people are missing a major point about what art is. Art is created by commission or on the property the owner wants the art made on. Most graffiti is done without the consent or permission of the owner of which the graffiti appears on. The graffiti "artists" go where ever they want and destroy other people's property. I wouldn't want someone to tag up may walls of my building, just because it's their "self-expression\"... If I asked them to do so, then it's a different story. Why doesn't the graffiti "artists" do their work on canvas? Why do they need to tag public property? Self-expression isn't about destruction, it's about creation. Graffiti destroys. Go create graffiti and display it in a museum or an art show.Posted by: JohnValley Report PostLike Reply Challenge14Graffiti itself isn't really an art to me. Graffitti itself is not an art. Graffiti itself from what I know are just vulgar, crude and trashy words. But graffiti art is an art form born from graffiti techniques.Of course sometimes there are meaningful phrases painted and sprayed in a beautiful way but more often than not its a joke.Posted by: Wolfyy Report PostLike Reply Challenge13Graffiti Is Horriable No i Think Graffiti Is Not Art , Why ? Because Its a Terrible Thing the thing people write on people Property , and they have to pay for it , its so wrong. Their Paying for People Believes WHat is stupid in my eyes. It Makes Places Look Like The Ghetto , Or a War Zone. People Might Be Scared to Live there.Report PostLike Reply02Yoooo its not art Graffitis not art because it is vandalism and it damages other peoples properties. Street art is acceptable because they always look nice and they have permission to do it. Most of the time graffiti is wrong and ussually vulgur. So thats why graffiti is not art because it is wrong.Report PostLike Reply02Graffiti has no meaning! In my opinion I think that in most cases graffiti has no meaning and is pointless, it has no thought of consideration. To be honest I can only think of one graffiti 'artist' and that's Banksy this is mainly because he is the only one who adds a morale or political message. However, overall graffiti spoils a nice day out for lots of people... I would also like to add this survey is slightly unfair due to the fact the main people who disagree with graffiti are older and don't used the internet or if they do they don't use it for the use of completing surveysPosted by: Peter12345 Report PostLike Reply Challenge02Scribbling is not art work Graffiti is the marking or defacing of another person’s propertywithout consent from the owner. It is different from street art, which isan artistic work with permission from both the owner of the propertyand the Council. As it is wilful damage, graffiti is a criminal offenceunder theGraffiti Prevention Act 2007Report PostLike Reply02Defacing other people's property Tagging property that is not yours in the name of art is just wrong. If graffiti artists want to express themselves they should do it in a constructive way that doesn't infringe on other people's property. Also if they think their work is art and someone else finds it trash the latter has no choice but to view it, it's there, in your face and unavoidable. Keep your art restricted to a canvas in a gallery where those that choose to view it will make an effort to find it. If the art is worthy, it will find an audience. If you must force your efforts on the public your "art" is seriously lacking merit.Report PostLike Reply01Meaning of graffiti The google definition for graffiti is writing or drawings scribbled, scratched, or sprayed illicitly on a wall or other surface in a public place. This exactly enplanes the meaning of graffiti and how it is most likely illegal, how it is vandalism and that it really isn't art. But say you were talking about "graffiti ART" that was not illegal and someone allowed the graffiti artist to spray random words o their building then that could be considered art but in other circumstances I would not consider it art.