Street-Level Humor: 40 Light Public Vandalism That Shouldn’t Be Punished

Even though street art, most of the time, is there to send a message, sometimes it is difficult to read into it, or maybe the 'artist' is more driven by an interest in vandalism. Therefore, we were wondering where the line between them is and what the rules of street art are.

“One of the first unwritten rules of street art was not to intervene in monuments or new buildings, but in crumbling or abandoned ones. The street artist, if he is not working on an authorized wall, should choose an old or abandoned wall knowing that his work could be canceled, it is part of street art. Furthermore, street art had to be a way to express protests, to talk about the problems of the world passing through the street. This is in theory. Actually, it doesn't always work that way. I'm talking about tagging, where artists respect these rules less and don't send any message except the affirmation of themselves. However, regardless of the rules that are or are not respected, all cases are different and must be analyzed individually. We also need to recognize the creative value of art that breaks rules and creates amazement, so we often can't decide between admiring a work of art or contesting its location,” shared Barbara.

Street art’s purpose is to communicate with people, be it by sending a message, spreading joy or causing amazement. If people do not interact with the art, is there a point in it? Barbara shared her opinion on what role community engagement plays in determining whether a piece of graffiti or installation is considered art or vandalism. “The community obviously plays a big role because this art is found on the street, and, in intention, it should be a common good to share and reflect on. Actually, the community is not always able to understand and value this art, even if, in my opinion, the mentality is changing.”

Whether street art is considered an art piece or an act of vandalism also depends on legal frameworks and local regulations that impact the perception and categorization of it. Barbara discussed different cases depending on cities. “One of the places that struck me in this sense was Paris, a city where artists are increasingly using poster art. This means that the works have a shorter life but allows the preservation of a city full of historical monuments and buildings. This already happened years ago in other big historic cities, such as Florence in Italy. Another example of the smart use of street art is the redevelopment of entire neighborhoods which took place, for example, in Rome in the Tor Marancia district. Walls are authorized by local communities, the community gets involved in the whole process and artists often deal with topics of interest to the community. Those neighborhoods also take a new touristic value because street art is increasing interest in this area.”

To convey artistic expression, there are steps artists should take into consideration for their work to be viewed as an art piece. Barbara shared some ethical guidelines that should be followed by the community: “As I have already said, the first thing is to choose to create their works in places that do not have an architectural or historical value. Anyway, they should respect some common sense rules, for example, not to intervene on new or recently renovated buildings. Another possibility is to use adhesive and avoid damaging the building itself. Also, in my opinion, they should focus more on problems of common interest and less on themselves. For the same damaged place, in fact, a tag has a different value from a work that deals with social or environmental problems.”

And lastly, Barbara added: “I think street art is a great tool to spread beauty and important messages about the world. As in everything, in my opinion, common sense and intelligence should be used. I address both street artists and users of their art.”

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