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The Graffiti Phenomenon |
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Written by John Zender
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Why so much interest in graffiti? There is no one answer. Graffiti has evolved over time and been accepted in many different forms of our society. Graffiti has its roots in hip hop culture. Hip-hop has influenced the way young people dress, talk, walk and value themselves and each other. Not only has the music influenced youth but style has also undergone some changes. “Poppin” isn’t as popular now but break dancing and graffiti artists have increased since the 1980’s in Los Angeles. Growing up in Los Angeles is very different today than it was 20 years ago. The MTV generation has through television has entered the minds of many of our youth. Music videos in the 80’s had Madonna singing Lucky Star and the ideal rebel was to become a member of the Breakfast Club. Now we see the likes of Nas, 50 cent and Lil Kim talking about blunts and gangsta styles. In fashion many rappers now own their own hip-hop clothing line.
The popularity of graffiti has also evolved over time. In 1985 in high school one would have found maybe one graffiti writer for every 3 classes. Now, there are about 10 graffiti writers in every class. The influence of the internet (many graffiti writers have their own web sites) has become a popular way to market writers’ skills. A new graffiti magazine is being published almost every year. Graffiti art shows are jammed packed opening night. One question is, why doesn’t any art collectors buy graffiti art? Why are these galleries crammed with youth and not that many adults? Like many styles in the past, when a new movement hits youth, they truly believe in the cause. Today’s young person can recognize the difference between what they think is phony and what they consider to be real or true. By this I mean that most youth want to be real they want to think for themselves and choose their own identity. Acceptance by their peers is also very important to them; the idea of being cool or hip means a lot to young people.
Graffiti gives youth that opportunity to re-invent them selves and to even re-name themselves. Steve becomes Skez and Laura becomes Ivory One. Another aspect of a young person’s personality is to challenge authority whether it is a parent or the laws of society or maybe even to challenge them selves. Some do it positively others choose a negative route. Graffiti has it’s positive sides and it’s negative sides.
Legal Vs Illegal
Graffiti through the years has gone through several changes, in the nineteen eighties graffiti was more about colors and competition about who had better artistic skills. In the early 90’s graffiti writers created more crews (groups of writers working as a team). Creating more competition among the crews not for skills but for quantity, some call it bombing others call it seek and destroy.
This created the mass tagging of the urban cities, opening doors to violence as some of these crew’s were large enough in numbers to confront the challenges that gang members placed on them in their own neighborhoods. Now in the new millennium we have writers who are considered “old school” many who hold the philosophy of graffiti being an art form producing colorful murals and trying to get discovered as artist. Bombers are writers whose focus is to simply tag there name as many times and at the most visible locations. Both of these types of writers have followers some caught in the middle not knowing which direction to go. Others start to tag with the aspirations of becoming a piecer (the writer who produces art pieces) and only to find them selves with a shortage of legal walls and the city of Los Angeles making them jump through hoops just to get a permit to paint. The idea of legal walls vs illegal walls is slowly coming to an end for both, for the ones that want to be graffiti artist and walls only come in the form of gated yards or interiors of private homes. Bombers don’t get legal walls just black books and dangerous freeways or possible incarceration. Any form of legal walls for an inexperienced graffiti writer really means a place to practice or space to develop their skills. These young artists unfortunately are also hit by the wave of anti-graffiti, zero tolerance initiatives that law enforcement acts.
A Positive Outlet
Because I believe that there is very few agencies that have experienced any thing positive with this graffiti phenomenon or don't understand it, it becomes difficult for them do help these kids.
Young graffiti writers fall through the cracks until they get caught by law enforcement officers and are hit with felonies and sent to prison. Because of proposition 21 young kids are sent to prison, tried as adults and given a strike for simply writing their name with a marker on a street pole. I believe there is a way to work with young writers through workshops. In 1993 I conducted a 5-day workshop, with a group of 30 graffiti writers (10 piecers and 20 bombers from 3 different crews) the outcome was amazing, the community commented on the drop in tagging in that area. I also conducted follow-ups and I was given a chance to see some of the members of that workshop attend art school. Some acquired positions in design firms and some even had art exhibitions.
It is very difficult to control the tidal wave that is coming down on the city, but the city itself is tired of pouring millions of dollars trying to paint it out. I believe it is ready to tap out and finally ask for help with creative outlets that can detour that wave and not just attempt to try to stop it. Out of all those millions not one dime is spent on art centers or programs that could invest in young Graff artists. As in times past now churches are stepping in trying make a difference in these lives by including this art form in there events, harnessing the positive aspects of this world phenomenon, and like a fellow artist once said, “graffiti artist don’t ask for permission, they just ask for forgiveness”.
Zender One is known throughout Los Angeles for his early influence on graffiti art in the early eighties and many of his community murals that inspire cultural awareness.
Johnzender.com creativeartsolutions.com flatblackclothing.com
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