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Carson Bowen

Professor Elizabeth James

ENG 201-003

24 February 2012

Word Count – 1732

$550,000 Vandalism

Artist Raymond Salvatore Harmon hit the nail on the head when he said, “Art is an

evolutionary act. The shape of art and its role in society is constantly changing. At no point is art

static. There are no rules.” Art can exist in any fashion. Simply doodling a cartoon octopus is art.

Twirling the foam on the top of your latte is art. Sculpting your facial hair into a fu-manchu is

art. But not all art is fully appreciated. Graffiti is forever lingering in the gray area between

vandalism and art. We are all familiar with graffiti. It can be found lurking under a bridge or

scribbled on a bathroom stall. When, exactly, does graffiti transcend art and become obtrusive?

This question can be better understood by looking at both sides of the argument. The first, a

2008 article from The Saint Louis Beacon, examines the town’s expenditures to remove the

graffiti. The next is a critically acclaimed documentary entitled Exit Through the Gift Shop,

featuring Banksy, one of the most well known and revered graffiti artists. After a thorough

examination of both sources, we will have a better understanding on the ongoing battle of how

to classify graffiti – art or vandalism.

I have always been fascinated by graffiti. Growing up in a small town in the piedmont of

North Carolina, I never really crossed paths with any great works of this rogue art. While

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roaming the streets shadowed by skyscrapers in cities like Atlanta and Los Angeles, I found that

the quality of the art around me improved dramatically. These cities were full of artistic

rosebushes when I was used to dandelions. As the saying goes, every rose has its thorn. In this

case, the thorns are the graffiti tags of violent street gangs. Amelia Flood is involved in

Operation Brightside, which is an organization dedicated to eradicating these eyesores. After

reading Flood’s write up on the appearance of graffiti in her hometown of Saint Louis, I was

able to gain a better perspective on whether graffiti should be considered a legitimate art form

or a form of hurt.

In her article, she introduces some statistics that stick out like Waldo at a funeral.

“Tagging is on the increase. In 2007, a total of 2,582 graffiti complaints were logged with St.

Louis’ Citizens Service Bureau, which forwards them to Brightside. That was up from 2006 by

337 complaints.” These statistics bring the strongest argument. These figures really help us

conceptualize the damage that this vandalism causes.

Being born and raised in Missouri’s largest town, Flood has seen her fair share of graffiti.

Although she understands that some see graffiti as art, it is her job to remove these unwanted

works from the sides of buildings. The town of Saint Louis is trying to pass a bill that would

prohibit retailers from selling spray paint to anybody under the age of eighteen. They believe

that this would significantly lower the appearance of vandalistic graffiti tags on the walls of the

town and surrounding areas. Graffiti is not going to just go away. Artist Bob Hansman says

“They have always taken the Draconian approach, (severe punishments for small infractions)

Not, ‘let’s make this work’, but ‘how do we make this go away.’”

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“Paint Louis” was a Saint Louis based artistic movement dedicated to making graffiti

“work”. They created blueprints for an aerosol mural, and presented it to the Regional Arts

Council, which permitted them to lay it over a brick wall in the late 1990s. An incident after the

Paint Louis project brings home the ironies of the entire graffiti situation. One night, after the

artists had packed up their supplies, paint was thrown on the mural. I find it pretty funny that

someone would vandalize what many consider vandalism. This incident raises another

question.

Who decides the difference between art and vandalism? Hansman was actively involved

in the Paint Louis venture, thinks it comes down to artistic integrity. Essentially, it depends on

their intention. If they intend to vandalize, it is obviously vandalism. More often than not, these

folks grab a paint can and take their time creating a work that will be admired.

Saint Louis is just one of many towns that struggles with the elimination of vandalistic

graffiti. Over fifteen years, Operation Brightside has spent over three million dollars to clean up

painted marks, with each year’s total exceeding the previous. In some situations, Brightside

crews cannot get to graffiti because it has been left in a location that is too dangerous for a

crew to reach, illustrating how daring these folks really are. The film Exit Through The Gift Shop

shows us that some of the artists were willing to do whatever it takes to get their message out

there.

From the beginning of the movie, we can tell that this is not your ordinary documentary.

Clips of young men scaling light poles to spray paint a bridge immediately capture your

attention. The whimsical orchestra of Richard Hawley’s “Tonight the Streets are Ours” sets the

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tone perfectly and uniquely. If you are not careful, this song will lift you off your feet, kick you

back on a cloud, and put a sweet tea in your hand. Over this introductory track, there are

countless clips of graffiti artists doing what they do best – art. Some choosing paint brush and

bucket, some choosing the traditional paint can. There are many means to the same end. That

end is art.

This documentary is essentially a story about the man that tried to film the man that

didn’t want to be filmed. This sentence seems hectic, but it captures the aura of street art. It is

so spontaneous and frantic and that is what makes it beautiful. There is a scene in the movie in

which three artists are walking the streets late at night, each with a spray can. They climb walls

and light poles and spray away. One artist specializes in a goofy faced cartoon character,

another in painting shadows of ordinary objects on to the streets. The paint they leave behind

is not obtrusive. It is not offensive. It is done with the intention to draw a reaction from an

audience. It is art. And it is trendy.

British Street artist Banksy decided to capitalize on the growing popularity of graffiti,

and put on an art exhibition in Los Angeles. He entitled his show “Barely Legal”, and it put the

name “Banksy” up there with the greatest of all time. Banksy establishes his credibility in this

film by showing news excerpts about the art he left on the Israeli West Bank Barrier, seen

below.

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Art collectors from all over the world participated in an auction on Banksy’s art after his

show had concluded. A painting of Charlie Brown smiling with cigarette in mouth while pouring

out gasoline sold for $550,000. Five hundred and fifty thousand dollars. Show me someone that

is willing to pay that much for vandalism and I will volunteer myself to go toe-to-toe with a

sumo wrestler. Another exhibition, directed by Mister Brainwash (a pop-art specialist), was

intended to be open for five days. After averaging one million dollars revenue and over one

thousand visitors a day, they decided to keep it open – more than two months total. The film

does an excellent job using logos in the form of sales figures as a means to justify graffiti as a

true form of art. The film shows us one self proclaimed art enthusiast and collector was

interviewed in her home and says, “People with Picassos and Monets are craving Banksys. No

collection is complete without a Banksy”, as she stands in front of Banksy’s painting of a six foot

tall black and white angel with an assault rifle, a beautiful contrast.

Similar to Banksy using juxtaposition to make his point, the film uses a similar tactic. The

scene shows thousands of people lining the streets of Los Angeles waiting for their chance to

see Mister Brainwash’s “Life is Beautiful” exhibition. MBW spent weeks building the hype for

his show. The film’s use of juxtaposition is exemplified when some visitors are asked about their

time at the show – and they obviously know what they are talking about. “Mister Brainwash

uses simple images to inspire complex thoughts in our minds. It is difficult… impossible, maybe,

to conceptualize his intention. That is what good artists are able to do.” They go on, throwing

around names of artists that I would butcher if I tried to write them down. The next interview

shown is of a man waiting to come inside. “I’m not quite sure what I’m here for, but I know I’m

excited. Art is cool.” Comparing this fan to the well spoken fans from earlier illustrates that fans

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of art come from different backgrounds, and have different points of view about art. Graffiti

even has a presence in politics.

We all know that one picture of Barack Obama. Yeah, the red, white, and blue HOPE

one. But few people know that it was designed by street artist Shepard Fairey. The film briefly

touches his involvement in Obama’s campaign to establish the ethos of the artist. Fairey is also

well known for his OBEY art. He uses repetition to “brainwash” people. He took an image of

wrestler Andre the Giant, put it over the word OBEY, and plastered it everywhere. “The more

stickers that are out there, the more important it seems, the more people want to know what it

is. They ask each other, giving it real power over perceived power.”

So just how much power does street art have? I think that it has the most influence of

any other type of art. Street art is so rogue and unexpected that it hits you when you are

vulnerable, and your reaction to it is raw and unprocessed. When you are watching the news,

you are prepared for unsettling images or thought provoking questions. When “ARE YOU

DOING YOUR BEST” is scribbled on the seat in front of you on the bus, you are forced to react,

and your reaction is natural. In all honesty, does it matter if graffiti is art or vandalism? Yes and

no. While some will spend $550,000 to bring vandalism home with them, some will spend

$550,000 to paint over art. Vandalism to some, art to others. That’s just the way it is.

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Works Cited

Banksy , Rhys Ifans, and Shepard Fairey. Exit Through the Gift Shop. United States: Mongrel,

2010.

Banksy West Bank Wall. Photograph. Best Travel Store. 09 Mar. 2011. Web. 27 Feb. 2012.

<http://blog.bt-store.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/banksy_wall.jpg>.

Campbell Spray. Photograph. Seductive Banter. 05 May 2010. Web. 27 Feb. 2012.

<http://seductivebanter.com/category/artes-de-la-calle/

Flood, Amelia. "Vandalism or Art? The Argument over Graffiti Goes on." St. Louis Beacon [Saint

Louis] 07 July 2008. Print.

Obama HOPE. Photograph. Obama Posterization. Web. 27 Feb. 2012.

<http://courses.cs.vt.edu/~cs1004/project/>.

OBEY. Photograph. Advertising, Propaganda, and Graffiti Art. 2006. Web. 27 Feb. 2012.

<http://www.graffiti.org/faq/kataras/kataras.html>.