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Graffiti - Graffiti Style Tattoos
It doesn't matter where you live in the world, chances are
you've seen graffiti somewhere around your local community.
It seems to spring up in every culture, although it tends to
be more prevalent in big cities.
But is it vandalism? Or is it art? That's a difficult
question to answer, mainly because there are so many
different types and styles of graffiti. The most basic form
of graffiti is "tagging" - which is usually a simple
graphic, usually letters, perhaps a play on the creator's
initials or nicknames. Often small and monochrome, it's
probably one of the most annoying and frustrating types of
graffiti, because it is small enough to deface almost any
surface, and is almost universally condemned as having no
artistic merit.
Graffiti, however, isn't restricted to tagging. On larger
surfaces, many graffiti artists employ multiple colors and
intricate designs to create their pictures. This is the type
of graffiti that starts to cross the line into being
artistic. It's this type of graffiti art that is now being
showcased in a number of art galleries, both in the USA and
around the world.
The other problem with graffiti as art is that the issue is
clouded by the location of the art. If some of these
stunning designs were created on a canvas, or a wall
specially set aside for the purpose, then it would be easier
to recognize them as art. Unfortunately most graffiti is
placed on private property, without the owner's consent, and
so is less likely to be viewed as a welcome addition.
Around the world, communities and governments have become
more vigilant in their attempts to reduce the amount of
graffiti. In many places there are community groups or
government funded teams who guarantee to clean up graffiti
in 24 hours after it's reported. Trains in New York were
given new coatings that allowed paint to just be "dissolved"
off their surfaces.
In my own local area, the sale of spray paint to persons
under 18 is illegal, and all spray paints are kept in locked
display cupboards. Another area has a team of painters who
regularly go around and repaint any fences that have been
covered in graffiti. One homeowner I know has had his fence
repainted 7 times so far! Over time, however, the amount of
graffiti reappearing is reducing, which is a victory for the
opponents of graffiti.
Still, simply removing the problem may in fact be a loss to
the artistic community in general. If graffiti is considered
in its most highly refined form, then are we in fact
stopping artistic development in its tracks by making it
impossible for budding graffiti artists to practice their
craft?
When you illegally deface someone else's property, no matter
how beautiful the art you create, you have still committed a
crime. Maybe what we need to do is find ways that graffiti
artists can learn and practice their craft, without needing
to deface hundreds of properties in the process. Some
communities now provide blank spaces and invite local
graffiti artists to paint them. Others have graffiti walls,
where anyone can paint whatever they want.
Maybe there needs to be a shift in the thinking of graffiti
artists, so they can discover the value of painting on
paper, rather than walls. Would the great painters of the
past still be as famous today if they had painted on walls,
rather than on canvas? The problem is complex, so finding a
solution that makes everyone happy is unlikely to be simple.
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Some Other Useful Web Resources
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1. Art Crimes Directory: Graffiti Tattoos
Tattoos, Graffiti Style We list tattoo shops with graffiti artists only, as a courtesy to the artists. If you contact one of these shops, please tell them Art Crimes sent you. If they don't have a ...
http://www.graffiti.org/tattoo/ |
2. Perfect Parties USA - Novelties & Crafts
... tattoo parlor. Our airbrush tattoos are non toxic and last ... paint names and other graffiti type artwork on t-shirts ... most popular renters, the Hair-Style Illusion Booth gives you the ...
http://www.perfectpartiesusa.com/novelties.asp |
3. Catallarchy » General
http://catallarchy.net/bl ...ves/category/general/
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4. ez-world | Internet Resources, News, Information and Current Developments fo...
... All different graffiti alphabet style Resources - Big All different graffiti alphabet style Info Moon star tattoos Information - Standout Moon star tattoos Info Family guy images Knowledge ...
http://www.ez-world.be/ |
5. http://www.jus.uio.no/sisu/free_culture.lawrence_lessig/plain.txt
... It was Douglas's style not to dither. Other justices would have blathered on for pages to reach the conclusion that Douglas holds in a single line: "Common sense revolts at the idea." But whether it ...
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6. Exquisite Corpse - A Journal of Letters and Life
... SilverLake was a pocket of style plucked from a secret handbook ... vintage Thrift with artsy leg tattoos and accessories willed from ... of dementia, singing the graffiti tags to the "babyback ...
http://www.corpse.org/iss ..._sweat/macintyre.html |
7. Links @149st
... Transit Wear SAIN TOP TRACY 168 Pioneer Tuff City Tattoos MED Wild Style (the movie) Charlie Ahearn Writer's Bench Clothing WANE COD Zephyr Graffiti ZEPHYR ZIMAD Luis "Zimad" Lamboy Acharlesnyc.com ...
http://www.at149st.com/links.html |
8. Articles - iStockalypse: Destination Prague | iStockphoto.com
... is decorated in semi-dungeon style vaulted bricks and tiki fare ... in the park, decorated in graffiti and a watershed of communist ... covered in temporary iStock tattoos. I'm impressed and she seems ...
http://www.istockphoto.com/article_view.php?ID=115 |
9. Filipino Tattoo Translations
... hundreds of Alibata/Baybayintattoos and translations for various ... a more fluid style with no style. No two characters are the ... that are reminiscent of graffiti, and paint brush strokes ...
http://www.filipinotattoos.com/translations.html |
10. Beyond the Beyond
... It makes the perfect graffiti tag to angrily re-purpose ... camouflage pattern and caveman-style lace up neck line, white tight ... implantation and "piercings, tattoos or silicone." In an interview ...
http://blog.wired.com/ste ...blog?topic_id=1068519 |
11. villa savoye
... temps de saignement pour les sims sims deluxe graffiti photo frontpage freeware pÍ en riviË salon de ... ... de chantier tribal tattoos projet perle altavista italia jura sud bureaux de style recherche job È ...
http://villa-savoye.flylab.be/ |
12. InkedBlog
... from Ghana to contemporary graffiti, Symbols.com can provide ... Iannillo "Most of my tattoos are of the work of other ... attracted to the rawness of his style and I look forward to seeing ...
http://www.inkedblog.com/archives/2005/08/ |
13. Paris, France - Paris Fashion - General Information on Paris hotels and sigh...
... tops, knits in baby doll style and belled sleeves. Trousers ... all. Sure to be as hot as the graffiti bags of last spring, are the ... tweed espadrilles, crystals, tattoos, straw boaters, dragonfly and ...
http://www.vacations-paris.com/info/fashion.html |
14.
... one colour all the time. Tattoos/Drawing on self or clothing. Graffiti on clothing/notebooks ... ... New interest in "Gangsta" lifestyle, including style of dress, music, movies, literature, etc ...
http://www.hamiltonpolice ...ngCrime/gangindex.htm |
15. Surf959.com - Tatto Grafitti Lettering
... style, with graffiti lettering and symbols," says Thompson. ... Looking for unique Graffiti tattoos ... ... It's not just graffiti-style lettering showing up in tattoos, it's also in the images themselves ...
http://www.surf959.com/se ...afitti_lettering.html |
16. What's Up: NYC
... 5 female artists working in graffiti and street realms. Art Picks ... Free Food, drinks, music, and tattoos to top it all off. Saturday ... Art Picks 6-8PM Faust (of Wild Style,156 and King Destroy) @ Cooper ...
http://whatsupnyc.com/blo ...es/cat_art_events.php |
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