Portal:Graffiti

The Graffiti and Street art Portal

Graffiti and Street art are graphics applied to publicly viewable surfaces. When done without the property owner's consent, graffiti is a form of vandalism and are punishable by law in most countries. Graffiti and Street art includes traditional graffiti artwork, stencil graffiti, sticker art, wheatpasting and street poster art, video projection, art intervention, and street installations. This form of contemporary art is heavily influenced by elements of Graffiti such as: Anti-war, Hip-Hop culture, anarchism, Television and Movies, Feminism and Anti-consumerism.

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Banksy is the pseudonym of a well-known yet anonymous English graffiti artist from Yate near Bristol. His artwork are often satirical pieces of art which encompass topics from politics, culture, and ethics. His street art, which combines graffiti with a distinctive stencilling technique, has appeared in London and in cities around the world.

Banksy started as a freehand graffiti artist then turned to the art of stencilling because it took less time to complete a 'piece'. Banksy's stencils feature striking and humorous images occasionally combined with slogans.

The message presented is usually anti-war, anti-capitalist, anti-establishment or pro-freedom. Subjects include animals such as monkeys and rats, policemen, soldiers, children and the elderly. There has been much controversy about Bansky's work, with Peter Gibson, a spokesperson for Keep Britain Tidy asserting that Banksy's work is simple vandalism. Banksy has also self-published several books that contain photos of his work in various countries as well as some of his canvas work and exhibitions, accompanied by his own writings. Banksy has grown to become the most famous Stencil Artist in the World.

Despite much speculation, Banksy's true identity remains unknown.

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Selected picture

Street Art in Munich by Oliver Raupach .

Description : A piece of Street Art on the wall of Elisabethmarkt in Munich, Germany. It shows the use of both free-hand aerosol paints and stencils. A stencil can be used to protect a surface except the specific shape that is to be painted. Stencils can be purchased as movable letters, ordered as professionally cut logos, or hand-cut by artists. The speed, portability and permanence also make aerosol paint a common graffiti medium.

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Quotes

Did you know...

• ....that Foo was here is an Australian graffiti signature of popular culture, especially known for its use during World War Two, but also became popular amongst Australian schoolchildren of post-war generations. Foo is shown as a bald headed man (sometimes depicted with a few hairs) peering over a wall (usually with the fingers of both hands appearing to clutch over the wall as well), with the simple inscription "Foo was here".

• ....that Ha-Ha (street artist) used to work as a garbage man, and is now Melbourne's most prolific Street Artist?

• ....that Swoon (artist), Vexta and Miss Van are all female graffiti artists?

• ....that Donald "Dondi" White (April 7, 1961 - October 2, 1998) is considered one of the most influential graffiti artists in the history of the movement?

• ....that Flyposting is the act of placing advertising posters or flyers in illegal places. In the US, these posters are known as bandit signs, snipe signs, or street spam?

Related portals

Selected List

• List of Street Artists

See also:

• List of Graffiti Artists
• List of Stencil Artists
• List of Wheatpaste Artists
• List of Poster Artists

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