In many cities, streets are covered with graffiti and murals. In some neighborhoods, they are seen as pieces of art and add beauty to their plain buildings.
In others, people see it as signs of gang and criminal activity. Recently, an abandoned building in Los Angeles (near Crypto.com) was covered in new graffiti by multiple artists.
The building being tagged all across seemed to have been done in one night. It was predicted that multiple people who do graffiti planned it together, and all draw their “art” on the building that randomly appeared covered in LA.
The media had mixed reactions and feelings towards the skyscraper. Apps like Instagram and TikTok showed contrasting opinions. With videos admiring the building as a token of what Los Angeles culture is and others saying the stunt was disgusting and disrespectful to the owners of the building.
Graffiti is often associated with gangs and criminal violence
The question of what is and what isn’t socially acceptable in terms of graffiti is shown through the idea of tagged neighborhoods often being associated with minorities and low-income spaces, while other neighborhoods have started paying artists to create murals for certain spaces. This then further pushes the idea of graffiti only being considered art when in white spaces.
Many who live in these cities also pose in front of drawings to take pictures. Not only positive pieces of graffiti but the ones that are even considered “gang affiliated”.
Rochelle Steiner, a professor of Critical Art Studies stated, “Some of this art is illegal, some of it is sanctioned, some of it is vandalism and some of it is encouraged by the owner.” A lot of people say that graffiti is taking advantage of property, but many pay people to get it done. Public murals (which are found all over cities like Los Angeles) were banned from being done until 2013, which wasn’t that long ago.
Los Angeles is popular for their streets and their look. Although some are covered in graffiti, it adds something beautiful to communities. Many may argue about the difference between graffiti and tagging. Some describe graffiti as works of art, while others say tagging has to do with gang affiliation. I personally believe that graffiti is a form of art. Although many might be seen as gang-affiliated, the work of colors and shapes in the graffiti is very unique and sometimes carefully done. Actual tagging that is made to purposely ruin homes and buildings is vandalism and should be better taken care of.
Many claim that graffiti promotes gang violence, as it is seen tagging names or streets. Even then, it just makes the city what it is. Murals and graffiti can be described as different terms, but they both add character to where they are at. Los Angeles and other cities are known for their mass of graffiti, art, or vandalism.
Written by: Victoria Gonzalez, Staff Writer