Don’t mess with my graffiti, sweetie

Graffiti: much loved by some and despised by others. Kgalalelo Morwe considers the different contexts in which graffiti obtains meaning.

According to Art Crimes, the term “graffiti” derives from the Greek graphein (“to write”). Graffiti (singular Graffito), meaning a drawing or scribbling on a flat surface, originally referred to those marks found on ancient Roman architecture.

Scribblings on walls are often considered as acts of vandalism but to graffiti artists these are seen as unlimited expressions of freedom. That is freedom without any boundaries. Hence, they want to put their messages where they will be accessible and visible to the public. Given the negative stigma attached to graffiti, one could just dismiss it as pure mediocrity and an illicit act. However, with much scrutiny and a particular attention to the history and the use of graffiti, a change of mind can be guaranteed.

Graffiti can be seen as a continuation of the avant-garde tradition. Contrary to popular belief, there is artistic significance in some graffiti and it can without a doubt be identified as a type of “public art”. According to many art researchers, this type of public art is in fact an effective tool for ‘social liberation’ or could lead to the achievement of certain political goals’. John Downing (2001) considers graffiti as a good example of radical, alternative media. Graffiti could indeed be seen as a form of media that challenges the status quo.

In China, communist leader Mao Zedong started graffiti in the 1920s, using slogans and paintings for his revolution. In fact, when he was a student in college, he graffitied a toilet stall with over 4000 characters, criticizing his teachers and the state of Chinese society. This is one of the longest pieces of graffiti on record. On the other hand, in Brazil – particularly Sao Paulo – graffiti in urban areas is seen as an expression of poverty. In the Middle East, in places such as the United Arab Emirates, Israel and Iran, graffiti has become really popular. The West Bank in Israel has a lot of religious references such as the Jewish chant “נ נח נחמ נחמ מאומן” (“Na Nach Nachma Nachman Meuman”).

In South Africa, community mural paintings played an important role in the anti-apartheid struggle and more recently the protests for better service delivery. The Orange Farm Crisis Committee is a case in point. Its residents have used graffiti to subvert the water and electricity privatization initiatives, by spraying various slogans in and around the area. The graffiti on the walls of Orange Farm articulates the requests of the people not to have pre-paid water meters – “Break The Meter – Enjoy the Water!”, as an alternative call for “Free Water for All!” and in protest against electricity cut-offs. Graffiti is therefore an alternative medium used by communities to voice out and express their frustrations and dissent.

Graffiti in Newtown, Johannesburg

Over the years, graffitti has however also been associated with gangs and the hip hop subculture. Graffiti has since evolved into a pop culture; its existence often related to underground hip hop music and b-boying (a form of dancing). In Newtown, Johannesburg, one can witness some examples of this particular use of graffiti.

As Art Crimes sums up:

“Graffiti are cross-cultural phenomena common to every literate society. Within the variable contexts of their production, graffiti personalize de-personalized space, construct landscapes of identity, make public space into private space, and act as promoters of ethnic unity as well as diversity. Graffiti can be understood as concrete manifestations of personal and communal ideologies which are visually striking, insistent, and provocative; as such, they are worthy of the continued attention of art historians, social scientists, and policy makers alike.”

You judge: is graffiti good or bad?