Graffiti
Graffiti
is a very fascinating and ever changing art form that lives in every city, all
over the world. The graffiti culture has been around for many centuries and has
lasted until today, evolving through globalisation.
Image Source: Bitten By the Travel Bug
Graffiti artists use their talents to depict or comment on
issues whether they are societal or political, often with hidden messages. The
use of graffiti by artists to comment on government issues, politics, war,
social changes as well as territorial marks invites the general public to see
something in another light. Graffiti artists embed connotative messages into their
images.
Image Source: Urban Adventures
The flows of globalisation has allowed graffiti to be shared
all over the world, the movement of graffiti has been possible through cultural
flows as people move around the world sharing their skills, traditions, beliefs
and art. Globalisation has allowed graffiti to spill onto the streets, signs,
doors and public transport all over the world, connecting artists and their
artworks.
Thompson’s (cited in Rantanen 2005, p. 7) definition of
globalization allows a greater understanding of how the world has become more
and more connected in the last decade.
“Globalization … refers to the growing interconnectedness of
different parts of the world, a process which gives rise to complex forms of
interaction and interdependency” (Thompson, 1995: 149).
Banksy,
a successful and also very controversial graffiti artist has allowed the world
to view his opinion through his graffiti. His graffiti or stencilled street art
is popular all over the world for its provocative nature and also the fact that
most of them are in positioned in popular public places. 
The anonymity of Banksy is one of the biggest aspects about the artist that has made him so popular. People all over the world have heard of Banksy and have seen pictures of his art or have seen it personally, but the interesting thing about Banksy is that most people have no idea who he really is.
References
Rantanen, T 2005, ‘Theorizing media and globalization’,
Media and globalization 2005, Sage Publications, London, pp. 1-18
One of the best things about this unit is the diversity of ideas we all have, and this blog piece on graffiti reiterates that point. I love the use of ‘embed connotative messages’ as it draws on material previously studied, and the images you have chosen provide a colourful backdrop to your work. I think it would be interesting to look at the changing mindset of the public who once saw graffiti as meaningless vandalism, but who have come to accept it as a legitimate art form, and whether this acceptance was also fuelled by the cultural flows of globalisation.
ReplyDeleteHi Emily. I really liked how you included graffiti into the context of globalisation. Although some people call it vandalism, I personally appreciate and admire the art from graffiti artists. It's very true that each graffiti art has a meaning behind, be it political or war or even love. Each piece holds personal emotions of the artist.
ReplyDeleteIt's true that globalisation has allowed graffiti to be all over the world. We see graffiti nearly every where now and there's even streets filled with these art in the city (which are the pictures you uploaded on this post too!). With globalisation and the cultural flows, it has definitely helped in connecting the world. Because of that, we are able to view the skills, talents and traditions of other graffiti artists from other parts of the world.
Great post! What I like about this unit is the sheer range of diversity of topics people can write about, and this post certainly shows us that. I am a fan of Banksy's work and street art in general, and I think you are right in that the public no longer just view it as vandalism, but I real art form and a way for artists to express their views. These works of art are truly a cultural flow in globalisation.
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