Graffiti
Crime or Art


          Graffiti can be defined as a form of visual communication, usually illegal, involving the unauthorized marking of public space by an individual or group or gangs.

          Although the common image of graffiti is a stylistic symbol or phrase spray-painted on a wall by a member of a street gang, there are also graffitis which are not related to gang.

          Graffiti is considered as antisocial behaviour performed by a group of hooligans or some miscreants in order to gain attention or as a form of thrill seeking, but it also consists an expressive art.

          The word Graffiti is derived from the Italian word 'graffio' which means "scratch". Its not a recent Phenomena, it was also done in ancient times.

          Markings analogous to Graffiti have been found in ancient Roman ruins, in the remains of the Mayan city of Tikal in Central America, on rocks in Spain dating to the 16th century, and in medieval English churches also this art has been found.


          In recent times, graffiti in the United States and Europe was closely associated with gangs, who used it for a variety of purposes: for identifying or claiming territory, for rememeberrance of dead gang members in an informal “obituary,” for boasting about acts (e.g., extortion) committed by gang members, and for challenging rival gangs as a prelude to violent confrontations.




          Graffiti was particularly prominent in major urban cities throughout the world, especially in the United States and Europe; common targets were vehcles, subways, roads, billboards, and walls.


          an example for tagging

          In the 1990s there emerged a new form of graffiti, known as “tagging,” which entailed the repeated use of a single symbol or series of symbols to mark territory. In order to attract the most attention possible, this type of graffiti usually appeared in strategically or centrally located neighbourhoods.


          Graffiti became notoriously famous in New York City in the late 20th century. Large elaborate multicoloured graffiti created with spray paint on building walls and subway cars came to define the urban landscape.


          The art world's fascination with artists who functioned outside traditional gallery channels stimulated an interest in this form of self-expression. In the 1980s New York artists such as Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat gained notoriety for their graffiti and parlayed this recognition into successful careers as painters represented by top galleries.

          Most jurisdictions have laws which forbids graffiti as vandalism, and in some countries punishment is quite severe. For example, in Singapore violators are subject to caning. During the 1980s and '90s many jurisdictions sought ways to eliminate and remove graffiti, fearing that it would otherwise lead to the debasement of the community.

          Significant resources were allocated for abatement and other clean-up efforts, and some cities even introduced “free walls for Graffiti” to provide legal opportunities for urban youths to express their artistic creativity.The question of whether such work is an innovative art form or a public nuisance has aroused much debate.

I think Graffiti should be digitalized by providing a digital wall and digital colour.