by Kaja
When you walk the streets of any city you can see colourful statements written on walls or buildings. Some tell a story, other make a statement. Some are beautiful, some are not. In most countries they are considered as vandalism and are strictly forbidden by law. We call them “graffiti” and they have influenced the urban culture. In this work I will try to prove whether they should be considered art or vandalism.
Many graffiti are written in special fonts, not necessarily understandable to other people. Some consider them to be a language of their own. That allows graffiti to be used as a way of telling a story or exchanging information by different groups. It may also be a sort of a statement when properly formulated.
Although many people see them as a beautiful addition to the city’s landscape, other may consider it to be ugly or even disfiguring, especially if its vulgar or insulting.
For example, a building owner or a developer may not be satisfied with a coarse comment on their possession, however beautifully done it may be. I don’t think anyone likes their property destroyed or damaged.
In my opinion, graffiti are what actually defines a city and makes it “human”. Without people and their various opinions, a city is just a concrete jungle. You can judge a city and its people based on the graffiti adorning it, for example when you see a vulgar caption on a beautiful old building, it may suggest that people who made it aren’t best educated or simply cant value the history of the city. But when you see a beautiful mural on the side of a building it can mean that the city is proud of its history or art and embraces it. Of course it is not a rule, but it may give a different view on the subject.
In conclusion, graffiti should be considered art, provided that the owner of the surface has previously agreed to it.
photo by FreePhotos @pixabay
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