Graffiti: Crime or Art?

[GoHawks4]

I was wondering all of your thoughts on this. I recently got interested in it and have done a little bit myself (all on the backs of buildings that face towards train tracks and barbed wire fences). I think some of it is damn artistic and the penalties should be lightened, not elminated per se, but definitely lower. In my state, it's up to $1000 everytime you're caught, and if it doesn't really hurt anything, what's the deal?

Note, I'm not talking about gang graffiti, I'm talking about stuff like this:

What are your thoughts?

 

[Rochester Rhino]

i say unless it says or shows something bad(curses, voilence, prejudice) or is just so ugly then they shouldn't be fined.

 

[IceBlu]

its definitely art. I love graffiti. One of my friends is a grafitti artist and does it as a job for houses (inside kids rooms , teenagers rooms , stores etc) and he gets paid welll.

 

[ManU2000]

If it isn't gang related, I say its art. I've seen some graffiti around LA that was artistic and it is very nice, mostly in East LA. Of course, living over here, I mostly see the gang-related stuff. Coming home once, we saw a gang tagging a sidewalk in Pomona, which is where all the gangsters and cholos are at over where I live.

 

[Paul]

most of it is just **** tho.

 

[John_Arne_Riise]

You know to clean the **** off walls where its not wanted is costing taxpayers money. Fair enough if they do it on their own property, i couldnt care less.

 

[GoHawks4]

I think one of the ones I did was rathar cool. I'll see if I can post pictures. It's the Chicago flag which consists of two horizontal blue stripes and 4 red six-pointed stars. Well the blue stripes spell out "Instigate" and "Revolution" whie the stars are my name, John. It's pretty snappy.

To me graffiti is an art form, albeit untraditional. People will say, "Why don't you paint on a canva?" But it isn't like that at all. It's like the world IS your canvas. It's like you're turning an ugly plain brick wall into something interesting or more eye-pleasing to look at.

 

[Parra Power]

depends........ sometimes some local govts here allow artists to graffiti on certain public places.... and it's quite nice

but tbh if i'm running a shopping mall or something and someone comes and sprays **** on it...... artistic or not, i wouldn't be very happy

 

[m3th0d]

yeah, it depends where u do it AND where u live... for example here in LA 99.9% of the graffiti on the walls and buildings are gang-related. it pisses the shiznazz outta me. ppl that do graffiti on private property should be shot on sight........ on the other hand ppl that do it for ARTISTIC pleasure, that's OK.

 

[Rob]

Its an artform. Its also a crime which is a shame because some Graffiti art is just breathtaking.

 

[PhiLLer]

I would consider graffiti as an art form, anyone ever tried to make anything look decent with a spraycan should know. Yet when some idiots go around spraying racists remarks or whatever on walls then I consider it vandalism and thus, crime.
Obviously they can't really lower the penalty because then you'd have to judge on whether your graffiti work is nice so it can stay and the other person's is crap for which he will get fine. Also I think it's wrong to graffiti anything on a person's property (I'm not talking industrial sites).
When I lived in Berlin years ago they had this pretty good idea of having designated graffiti walls across the city where it was allowed to show off your graffiti art skills. If they'd implement something like that everywhere I'd be succesful I think.

 

[TOON ARMY]

It depends on where the graffiti is being sprayed. A lot of British towns and cities have speical areas for people to graffiti, normally near a skatepark, etc, but they never stick to them!

They think it's funny to spray graffiti on peoples cars!

 

[LOCOlombia]

if its done for like murals and to liven up old buildings and stuff like that like they do in LA and other parts of the country, then that's cool, but graffiti on street signs, and gang related that's a no-no.

 

[rhizome17]

Some of it can be pretty artisitc - but the gang 'tags' usually look just plain stupid.

Me, I am a fan of protest-related grafitti. Especially when the methods and tools are creative - e.g. using petrol to kill some grass off on a hillside etc.

 

[RUSI]

i say if it is alright with the owner of where ever you put it then it is fine with me

 

[Callan]

Its art

 

[Bobby]

It's art, if it's not gang related.

 

[Elder]

It's crime and art. I would estimate it costs millions of dollars to clean this garbage off of people's private property, subways, busses, and buildings. If youwant to do graffiti, go buy some canvas and go at it in your bedroom like real artists do.

However, it is art as it requires artistic talent and skills. Personally I think that when it is done with the consent of the government and things like this, it turns out pretty good. But go over to Europe and see the garbage they put up there and you might change your mind. It's EVERYWHERE in germany and just looks like sh*t.

Maybe these cats who spray should go back to class and learn how to read.

 

[rhizome17]

Remember the 80's when it was called 'bombing'

 

[Elder]

Remember the 80's when it was called 'bombing'

Ahhh the glorious 80's. It's till called bombing in skater circles I think. I had a buddy get busted for doing it on this grocery store all the time. His punishment was to clean it, and then go spray a design for the local high school football teams mascot. So now his work is up for all to see every friday night during home games... a big mean looking cat........