Graffiti seems to face many of the same issues as sand sculpture when it comes to being accepted as a Real art form. To many, it appears to be just some kids having fun and being destructive, a counter-culture of crusty rebels, rabid youths prowling around in the dead of the night spraying their tag on any flat surface they can find. Like feral animals pissing on corners to mark their territory. In some ways this criticism is understandable. There is a lot of rubbish graffiti as is there a lot of rubbish Sand sculpture (Some of my own would make that list).
But, there are also the graffiti artists of the world that want to just make something beautiful and clever and a wall is their canvas. They bring colour and fun to their environment. Their tags are a big sense of pride to them that they must share with the world until they get it Just right.
And, then there are the Banksys of this world. Those that try to express something in their work. The world is their gallery and the public their audience, not some black turtle neck wearing, goateed bearded art critic. This accessibility has much to do with why Graffiti is a black sheep of the art world. Any person can pick up and spray can and inflict their wares on the world. There is no gatekeeper and unless you are a banksy, walking the tight rope of commercialism and selling out the art world doesn't know what to do with you. It was only when he started selling prints of his work that the art world became interested. They could put a price on it. We see the same thing happening with NFTs. Now that there is money involved they are sitting up and taking notice.
Is it art?
To me Art is all about intent, it should not matter the material or genre you work in. commercial success should not be the value giver.
In sand, we have similar subgenres. The busker on the street, making the same dog each morning and then spending the rest of the day brushing it with the appearance that they are still working. The sandcastle maker, who doesn't seem to understand that the paradox is so twentieth century. The sand drawer that brings his rake for a walk along the beach and leaves behind a trail like a dizzy snail. And, even the sand sculptor who makes the same piece, or a variant of at every project because it has won for them in the past. There are many types and kinds of sand "Artist" but it is their intent that brings long-lasting value for me.
Reading this back to myself it sounds a bit bitchy but I don't mean it to be. It takes all types and at the end of the day, I am no authority on how people should interact with these tiny little rocks. The material, like paint on a canvas or house, should not be tarred with the same brush as those that society just doesn't get.
After that drawn-out intro. Here is a sculpture we made for the 2013 La Pineda, sand sculpture nativity. I will in no way class this as 'High Art'. just a bit of fun. Someone had suggested Graffiti as a theme and I was happy that I didn't have to expend much energy having to think about what to do. I had just come from a long project in Kuwait and was trying to conserve a bit of energy for my next project up the top of the Alps. I could work with graffiti, how hard could it be if the cultural stereotypes were correct about it being the art form of low life's.
Joking aside, I thought it was an interesting idea and one worthy of being explored. I didn't know much about this world and maybe this was a good opportunity to think about it and form an opinion.
Graffiti is hard to avoid, especially if you live in the inner city. To be honest I would prefer to see graffiti, even bad stuff than have all those billboards and advertisements which pollute the view of our world. Who gives advertisers to right to bombard our eyes with their crap and yet we see someone taking it upon themselves to paint something without commerce involved is a big no-no. We live in a funny world.
AMMONITE WAZ ERE!
I worked on Joseph who looks like a dodgy fucker caught in the headlights as he sprays Jesus on a brick wall. I experimented with making the letters more three dimensional to have them stand out better and tried using the graffiti artists adage of having lettering so cool you couldn't read it.
For the S I went a bit back to my roots and did something a bit more sculptural with the bricks of the wall popping out to form the shape. I liked the way it broke up the composition as well as the wall.
Ludo Roders made Mary and the other end of the lettering. While in a separate compaction to the front, Nuria Vallverdu Villagines made a representation of Jesus.
So, what did I learn about the crazy world of these nocturnal artists? Well, not much really but I was happy to give them a nod from one scruffy artist to another. Telling them I am still engaging, trying to understand. Do what you do guys but respect your audience and they'll respect you.
Here is my one and only contribution to the world of graffiti. I sprayed my tag on the Berlin wall when I was doing a project there in 2003. You can read about the event Here. This will be available very soon as an NFT in my store, Starting bid $1000. Tee hee! look Ma, I'm an artist.
Ps
Thanks for reading. I use PeakD to document my work as an ephemeral Sculptor of sand, snow and ice, amongst other things. This will hopefully give it a new life on the Hive Blockchain. Below you will find some of my recent posts.
The crystal cave - sand sculpture
The 40 thieves - sand sculpture
Bad Grandpa - ice sculpture
I hope you'll join me again soon
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