Graffiti can be seen as a nuisance to a town and a hindrance to public and private property. This includes both tagging and larger works, which are often painted over and destroyed. Other forms of graffiti such as street art are praised and commissioned, though they are usually performed on the same surface as previous illegal graffiti. But what differentiates these two forms of art?
“A lot of the legal artists started from a place of illegal tags. So I think you wouldn’t have a lot of these really talented commissioned artists if you took away the illegal aspect,” said Gabe Miller, a junior at Berkeley High School. As it turns out, these artistic styles are very similar, almost identical, only differing in where the art is wanted versus where it is not. However, this distinction is important because vandalism can destroy and take away from public spaces.
To many young people, graffiti is seen as cool and unique — a way of adding beauty in places where it is lacking. “I strongly believe that graffiti adds to a city and adds to urban environments. I think it adds color and just overall coolness to an area,” Miller said. While graffiti can be harmful, it also can change a boring city street to a lively landmark.
Within itself, graffiti varies in that it could be a simple scribbled word, or a full piece of art on the wall. Tagging is the most common form of graffiti and usually the smallest as well. It consists of a phrase, name, or made up word written in a stylistic font and flashy manner. On the other hand, big artworks using colorful spray paint and other mediums also are still defined as graffiti. To the artists, graffiti can be much more than just drawing a scribble on a wall.
“In my opinion, it’s just to say that they were there, to say like, ‘that’s my mark right there, and I put it there,’” said Daniel Cardenis, a BHS senior. People have many different forms of saying that “they were there” and graffiti is just one of them. Graffiti is usually permanent, which makes it an excellent way to express this natural human desire of wanting to be remembered. No matter how big or how small the work is, it still has the same way of recognizing the artist who created it. In addition, some artists partake in graffiti as a way to feel excitement. “A lot of people use it as their vice, it’s what makes them feel good,” Miller said. In many states, graffiti can lead to a felony charge, but this doesn’t stop people from doing it. The high penalty is also a reason graffiti can be used as a strong form of protest when the artists feel strongly about a cause.
Graffiti and street art can also be used in forms of social justice. “I think activism messages in graffiti are really effective because you’re gonna see it everywhere in the city. If it’s online and other places you can ignore it, but graffiti is so forefront you notice it and it pops out at you,” Miller said. The ability to combine art with a prominent central message is a powerful tool and form of protest.
“There’s a lot of pieces like that, especially in the Bay Area. I think it’s definitely a good form of activism, and that’s the way that you want to do it,” Cardenis said.
Nigel Sussman is a local Berkeley illustrator, muralist, and artist. He performs commissioned pieces of art all over the city, from Lawrence Berkeley National Lab to Telegraph Avenue. While he does not partake in graffiti, as an artist he still has his respective opinions about the artwork as a whole.
“We take art for granted and it’s everywhere. Only some of it is identified as art, and some of the graffiti gets mislabeled as vandalism,” Sussman said. Art is a very subjective concept and the lines between what is art and what is not are very thin. Anything can be considered art, it just depends on the context of when and where it is.
“The distinction between graffiti, mural art, sign painting, design, and advertising is all in a gray area. Sometimes it’s obvious and sometimes they are the same thing or sometimes it becomes just a context,” Sussman said. In Sussman’s work, he paints murals for businesses, schools, and even the city of Berkeley. While his street art is solely commissioned, he still agrees that graffiti isn’t completely unrelated.
“Graffiti is, essentially just an unsanctioned mural,” Sussman said. However, not every artist has the connections to be employed for their work, so graffiti is their artistic medium. When executed deliberately, Graffiti can be a beautiful aspect to our city that builds on the visual appeal, and allows for people to express themselves.
“Public art of any sort is a win for the community as long as it’s for the community that’s the key,” Sussman said, “Any sort of display of emotion on a grand scale is awesome. I love any sort of public art, more color in a community is positive.”