Understanding Street Art and Graffiti around the world. Examples of it on the streets of "Plaza

Graffiti and street art are inextricably linked. The word graffiti comes from the Italian graffare meaning to scratch, as in on a surface. Yet, today the term graffiti means any sort of unsanctioned application of a substance, whether it is spray paint, pencil markings, or even stickers.

From the graffiti scrawled on the walls of the ancient city of Pompeii, socio-political murals in Northern Ireland from groups like the IRA and Sinn Féin, to communal projects like The Great Wall of Los Angeles, scholars have begun to recognize the importance of and value of these communications and political statements. Graffiti is now recognized as a legitimate source of academic study, and it is being studied as a reaction to injustice and disenfranchisement, a cry for revolution, a way to create awareness of socio-political issues, an expression of hope for the future, an effort to reclaim public spaces, or an attempt to beautify the urban environment, among others. In fact, some scholars have even studied graffiti specific to libraries, as Quinn Dombrowski did for her Crescat Graffiti, Vita Excolatur project wherein she documented graffiti found in the Regenstein Library at the University of Chicago from 2007 to 2011.

The present-day graffiti style began in the late 1970s in New York City, and the seminal documentary Style Wars (1983), does an excellent job of documenting graffiti’s proliferation in conjunction with the birth of hip hop. Graffiti also has deep connections to the Beat generation, as well as Pop artists like Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein, in that graffiti rejects established standards, encourages experimentation, and draws from popular culture and advertising. Furthermore, Andy Warhol was instrumental in the rise of Jean-Michael Basquiat’s career, who alongside artists like Keith Haring, Futura 2000, Cornbread, and TAKI-183, among others, is recognized as being an influential pioneer in the graffiti world. Like many subcultures rooted in resistance, graffiti has a rich history in independently published media like the zines IGTimes, Can Control, and 12ozProphet.

The differences between graffiti and street art can be found in authorial intent, intended audience, and form. The most common form of graffiti is a tag. A tag is a graffiti artist’s signature. Tags are text based and largely indecipherable by those outside the graffiti community. The intention behind a tag is the rebellious proliferation of the artist’s signature, akin to brand name advertising. Street art is a sub-genre of graffiti. While graffiti operates within a closed community, street art is an open invitation for anyone to interact, consider, and discuss. Furthermore, street art is drawn with a pictorial focus rather than textual, and it is rebellious but not purposefully destructive as there is intent to beautify the urban environment.

The most recognized contemporary street artists include the likes of Banksy and Shepard Fairey. Banksy, who uses stencils in his street art, recently took the media by storm during his self-proclaimed month-long artist’s residency in New York City, where his works and social experiments drew hordes of fans, the ire of politicians, and intense media scrutiny regarding issues surrounding the nature of graffiti.

This, in turn, sparked national dialogue concerning larger structural questions, such as what constitutes art, what is public and what is private, and a variety of other sociopolitical issues. Banksy’s unique vision, self-referential style, and examination of the hypocritical capital “A” Arts scene, can be viewed in the award-winning documentary Exit Through The Gift Shop (2010).

Fairey is best known for his Obama Hope poster, as well as his sticker art involving the image of former professional wrestler Andre the Giant alongside the phrase “Obey,” though Fairey has now focused more on fashion and the established gallery scene than his street art roots.

Street art’s immersion into the mainstream is not unique for a subculture. Graffiti has long been appropriated by advertising enterprises due to graffiti’s popular appeal. Street art-related pieces have increasingly garnered institutional affirmation through gallery exhibits, which has caused prices of works to skyrocket when sold at auction. Street art and graffiti artists have become so popular that even renowned hip hop mogul Jay-Z rapped about his love of Jean-Michel Basquiat, as well as references to Shepard Fairey, in his most recent album Magna Carta Holy Grail.

Street art is ephemeral. Authorities often eradicate street art because it is perceived as vandalism. Additionally, street art often asks questions that the authorities would prefer not be asked. Another aspect of street art’s ephemeral nature is that it exists in the public for the public, thus it is exposed to not only the elements, but potential vandalism, as well. Street art’s emphasis on communal engagement, value to scholarship, and its temporal and fragile nature demonstrate the importance of street art curation and distribution in both online and print collections and archives.

You may see some examples of Street Art around the streets in the neighbourhood called "Plaza del Oeste" in Salamanca, Spain.