Graffiti as Art or Vandalism?

Having our headquarters near the downtown Los Angeles Arts District it is hard not to run into some kind of graffiti. But is graffiti really vandalism or self expression?

In a place like, the Los Angeles Arts District, art (or expression) is highly encouraged, and there’s not one nook that goes unscathed, or for lack of a better word bombed. What used to be the Warehouse District has turned into an environment that hones artists’ display of art in every alleyway, and every building. The beautification of a neighborhood that use to look war torn can be highly attributed to one; the local leadership of the community, and secondly; local artist that have contributed and continue to contribute throughout the entire district.

The New York Times recently reported on a surge in urban graffiti throughout the nation, and attributed it partly to the lack of city funding and unemployment:

This recent surge and whether it might be an early indicator that anxiety and alienation are growing in some struggling urban areas in the face of stubborn unemployment and the lingering effects of the recession. The latest statistics from Los Angeles, where the unemployment rate was 11 percent in May, attest to a widening problem: the city removed 35.4 million square feet of graffiti for the fiscal year that ended June 30, an 8.2 percent jump over last year, city officials said.

With the recent exhibition of graffiti art at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in Los Angeles and other galleries across the nation, graffiti art has become mainstream. However, an urban dweller would strongly disagree with an increase in graffiti because there’s always been a ton of it, and with it going mainstream people are becoming more aware of it. Whether graffiti is art? That lies in the eyes of the beholder. Just walk around the downtown Los Angeles Arts District for an hour, and maybe you can decide for yourself.

Source: New York Times