Modern Graffiti – Art

Street culture and graffiti are well-known for being provocative, appealing, bold and uncompromising. Originally used by gangs to mark their territory in some urban area, graffitis have now become a rich medium for unrestricted expression of ideas and statements. In fact, creative designers and artists across the globe use this form of art to deliver their message and showcase their work.

Probably the most prominent graffiti artist is Banksy, a famous pseudo-anonymous British artist whose works focus on topics such as politics, culture, and ethics. His art has appeared in cities around the world; it’s worth mentioning that Banksy does not sell photos of street graffiti or mount exhibitions of screenprints in commercial galleries. You can explore Banksy’s works in the Time’s slideshow The World According To Banksy. However, many different artists explore graffiti in a variety of ways.

In this episode of Monday Inspiration series we are presenting a tribute to street art and graffiti — over 11 examples of beautiful and impressive graffiti artworks. Hopefully everybody will find some inspiration at least in some of the works showcased below. Feel free to explore the works of artists by following the links to their sites.

Modern graffiti

Street culture and graffiti are well-known for being provocative, appealing, bold and uncompromising. Originally used by gangs to mark their territory in some urban area, graffitis have now become a rich medium for unrestricted expression of ideas and statements. In fact, creative designers and artists across the globe use this form of art to deliver their message and showcase their work.

Probably the most prominent graffiti artist is Banksy, a famous pseudo-anonymous British artist whose works focus on topics such as politics, culture, and ethics. His art has appeared in cities around the world; it’s worth mentioning that Banksy does not sell photos of street graffiti or mount exhibitions of screenprints in commercial galleries. You can explore Banksy’s works in the Time’s slideshow The World According To Banksy. However, many different artists explore graffiti in a variety of ways.

In this episode of Monday Inspiration series we are presenting a tribute to street art and graffiti — over 11 examples of beautiful and impressive graffiti artworks. Hopefully everybody will find some inspiration at least in some of the works showcased below. Feel free to explore the works of artists by following the links to their sites.

Modern graffiti

Evolution of a Graffiti Tagger

Beginner
select a tag name
practice writing tag over and over
writes on books and personal items
may begin to tag in the community, referred to by taggers as “getting up”. Common tagging areas are schools, buses, mail and newspaper boxes, etc.
will tag if the opportunity presents itself
may see the term “toy” written next to new tags. “Toy” means inexperienced or incompetent tagger.

Developing
will have established a unique style to his/her tag
may start a “piece book”, a graffiti practice book
associates with other taggers
may form or join a tagging crew
will tag more frequently and in more difficult places (rooftops, under bridges)
will try “throw ups”, balloon or bubble style letter two coloured mural
will go out late at night (dusk to dawn) for the express purpose of tagging
strive to be “all city”, which is a graffit term for having ones tag visible over a large area, such as the Lower Mainland

Practiced/Hardcore
will begin doing more “piecing”, which is an elaborate mural with many colours
will have a very elaborate “piece book” with “pieces” outlined
has all the graffiti tools (spray paints, magazines, photographs of work, paint masks, etching items, etc.)
the pinnacle of expression for a tagger is acheived by “piecing”, a painting or mural done with spray paint in graffiti style (short for masterpiece), or “bombing”, which is a multi-coloured piece or a crew name in large bubble letters
will look for highly visible areas to “showcase” their work (murals), such as rail cars, buildings, along transit routes, rooftops, etc.
carries camera to photograph graffiti.