Is graffiti art? Whether you agree or disagree with that question, there is no question that as Los Angeles residents, we get to see our fair share of it. We don't pretend to understand the world of graffiti artists, we know it's an inner world that is dominated by some talented kids [and some not so talented] and a heirarchy arranged by their own inner world.
Saber, a Los Angeles graffiti legend, has had his first collection of work published in a book called Mad Society outlining stories of childhood, fine art and his graffiti misadventures including his most acclaimed piece spanning the size of a football field off of the Los Angeles River.
Not all of his work is delinquent. He has also finished his first solo show in San Francisco as well as creating movie sets, and working for Harley Davidson as well as Levis.
Whether you love em or hate em' graffiti artists most likely won't be going away any time soon. We're sure it's just a pipe dream but something to consider... What if they actually produced public art that could be embraced? taking a negative and making it a positive. Something for local government to consider if we have any politicians reading.
© 2009 Apartment Therapy
Some graffiti are artistic; but it's still vandalism!
view chartreuse's profile
It is definitely art and I love when i see it.
view aladywhoknows's profile
i appreciate graffiti in designated places (okay, i think it looks pretty rad on abandoned warehouses downtown, old trains, and in the LA "river") but nothing steams me more than seeing those stupid tags on residential property.
i lived in a warehouse in Hollywood for a while and was the victim of constant tagging. the gang that was doing it was notoriously dangerous, but we tried to reach out and befriend them and eventually it stopped.
it also irritates me to no end to see how shop owners handle (or dont handle) it when their store gets tagged. ive always thought...if i ever had a shop, i would be SO on top of the tagging! clean it right away, match the colors just right if i had to paint over it, or just re-paint the whole wall! i cant stand those unsightly off-color patches that are left when people paint over tags.
*sigh* this is a rant i could really go on and on about...
view my little apartment's profile
tagging is not the same thing as graffiti to me. Tagging is stupid and annoying
view pdxcarrie's profile
I personally LOVE graffiti. Its those stupid loser taggers that I can not stand. The sidewalk outside my home is always getting tagged by the stupid High School Kids. I wish I had nothing better to do than wait around and catch every one of them in the act and get them arrested.
If I lived downtown in a warehouse or the like and was constantly being tagged I think I just might invite a few graffiti artist create something awazing and deter stupid kids from tagging their silly name. Or creat my own graphic on teh building like that residence in another post, i think it was japan.
view yeknomlana's profile