Graffiti has been around for a very, very long time. It can be used for everything from advertising to marking territory. For some, it is an art form that enables the expression of thousands of artists who otherwise have no forum. For other people, it is vandalism, and a constant blight on society. Regardless, street art has experienced a rise in popularity in recent years. Many artists are managing to have their art displayed in legitimate galleries, and have even moved into apparel, mainly in the form of graffiti tee shirts.
Over the years, street art has undergone many changes. Hard core urban artists, also known as graf artists, are a part of a subculture that spans the globe. From Croatia to Finland, Washington, to New York, graf artists ply their trade with differing intentions.
There are graf artists who utilize the urban environment as a means of sending messages to the populace. It becomes a forum through which they can be heard. Frequently, urban artists feel they have no voice in political circles, so they use the streets as their platform, and art becomes their speech. A set of unspoken rules tends to govern the way things are handled within the subculture of urban street artists.
These unwritten laws serve to govern certain specifics, like what constitutes respect between artists and the 'pieces' they leave behind. Rivalries between competing groups are not at all uncommon. In most cases, the local populace is completely unaware that a 'war' is going on at all.
The same can be true of the signs and symbols used to mark gang territory in certain parts of the world. Regular citizens who are not associated with any gang, may not recognize, or be expected to recognize the symbols. By contrast, those members of rival gangs would automatically be alerted to the fact that they are in enemy territory.
It is the opinion of some people, that when images from street art are placed on clothing, it serves to legitimate that art. When an urban artist creates a work of art specifically to go on clothing, the art itself is re-contextualized. Clothing presents an opportunity for a moving installation, where several ideas are displayed simultaneously.
As long as the subculture exists, urban art cannot help but to continue to have its' place within the larger context of society. Graffiti tee shirts could potentially be a step toward unobtrusively disseminating messages and information the bulk of the populace might otherwise remain ignorant of. Another potential result could be an elevation of this kind of art to a position of acknowledged artistic expression.
graffiti tee shirts
Over the years, street art has undergone many changes. Hard core urban artists, also known as graf artists, are a part of a subculture that spans the globe. From Croatia to Finland, Washington, to New York, graf artists ply their trade with differing intentions.
There are graf artists who utilize the urban environment as a means of sending messages to the populace. It becomes a forum through which they can be heard. Frequently, urban artists feel they have no voice in political circles, so they use the streets as their platform, and art becomes their speech. A set of unspoken rules tends to govern the way things are handled within the subculture of urban street artists.
These unwritten laws serve to govern certain specifics, like what constitutes respect between artists and the 'pieces' they leave behind. Rivalries between competing groups are not at all uncommon. In most cases, the local populace is completely unaware that a 'war' is going on at all.
The same can be true of the signs and symbols used to mark gang territory in certain parts of the world. Regular citizens who are not associated with any gang, may not recognize, or be expected to recognize the symbols. By contrast, those members of rival gangs would automatically be alerted to the fact that they are in enemy territory.
It is the opinion of some people, that when images from street art are placed on clothing, it serves to legitimate that art. When an urban artist creates a work of art specifically to go on clothing, the art itself is re-contextualized. Clothing presents an opportunity for a moving installation, where several ideas are displayed simultaneously.
As long as the subculture exists, urban art cannot help but to continue to have its' place within the larger context of society. Graffiti tee shirts could potentially be a step toward unobtrusively disseminating messages and information the bulk of the populace might otherwise remain ignorant of. Another potential result could be an elevation of this kind of art to a position of acknowledged artistic expression.
graffiti tee shirts
