Graffiti is really complicated for me. On one level, I know that it’s wrong in the sense that the art is typically not welcome in the places where it finds its place. Thus it is typically regarded as vandalism, and for all intensive purposes is, in fact, vandalism. But there is this second level to graffiti that grips me. I love underground cultures, and underground cultures by their very nature must operate outside and in defiance of polite society. Which makes me question why I think that this level of revolt is acceptable.
On a third level, graffiti helps us to understand art properly. The question of art should not be: “is this beautiful to me?” The question of art is: “what does this say?” Your level of interaction with the piece is its intended purpose. Whether you like or hate what you see is somewhat inconsequential to the piece’s purpose.
Art will assemble and prioritize values to itself. Beauty is one value that can be packed with the message of a piece. Another value may simply be communication of an event. Graffiti is the purest form of expression. It is a medium that speaks without any of the trappings that make a market.
