Tag, That’s Art

Posted on February 21, 2009 
Filed Under Art, SOMA

Love it or loathe it, graffiti is a provocative form of expression we all live with. Widely considered the deplorable craft of vandals and gangs, even the ancient Romans were plagued with cleaning up the wall scrawl of prostitutes and renegade polticos rife with something to say. Long before we had the internet and blogsites to quell our innate desire to be heard [ahem], graffiti has provided a means to voice our inner creative. And its continued evolution has served as a breeding ground for some of the more original contributions to the world of art and social commentary.

Street art, as it is now commonly categorized, has become something of a global phenomenon. With world-class museums such as London’s Tate Modern providing a forum for collectives of international street artists, the art world and the public-at-large is finally starting to take notice. And, on a scale that typically engulfs the buildings and alleyways on which they’re produced, who wouldn’t notice?

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Artists cite influences from comic-book legend Robert Crumb to Spanish surrealist Joan Miró. But unlike more traditional forms of art, street art maintains a critical involvement with the urban environment. English graffiti artist and stencilist Bansky uses his work to satirize politics and challenge principle. Commemorating the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, Bansky created a series of works on derelict buildings in and around New Orleans. Although many fail to see beauty in the blight, many of Bansky’s original works go on to sell for hundreds of thousands at auction.

bayareagraffiti_show01San Francisco’s 111 Minna Gallery recently played host to its own celebration of local street art. The event launched Bay Area Graffiti, a collection of distinctive and innovative works documented by photographer Steve Rotman. Featured at the gallery was a diverse collection of tagged found art and mixed-media projects by many of the book’s writers and contributors. Though continually misaligned and misunderstood, it is just these sorts of projects that are capturing public fascination and critical praise. There’s a new Renaissance afoot and it’s happening in the streets.

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Bay Area Graffiti, official website http://unaesthetic.net/bay-area-graffiti/, can be ordered at amazon.com.

—Michael

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