In Banksy’s town, graffiti is art

On a recent visit to London, I was fortunate enough to visit a number of the city’s great venues of art, from the Tate Modern and the National Gallery to the Dali Universe and the Photographers’ Gallery.

It was all incredible – some of the greatest collections of art that I have ever seen.

But I count myself even more lucky to have seen a form of art in London that is perhaps less widely appreciated by the art community –  graffiti. 

Just as in any great city – New York, Paris, Berlin – the streets of London are fertile breeding grounds for the underground art community, bringing forth a wide variety of graffiti styles that range from the simple tagging and stenciling to complex murals and imagery rife with social and political commentary.

For those who stand strong in the belief that graffiti is never art, that it is always vandalism, I would challenge them to look at some of the graffiti that is being done in the world’s biggest cities today.

You might be surprised by the power of a spray can on a cement wall to celebrate diversity, preserve culture and even provoke a change in the way that people think.

Walking along Bethnal Green Road in East London, I came upon a display of graffiti sponsored by the charity organization Rich Mix.

Created in April 2009, the 90-meter mural combined the work of professional graffiti artists and young people from the community to create a work of art that would celebrate the variety of cultures in the area.

One of the signs on the mural explained the work’s purpose: “This piece is about a journey of cultural exchange, from the art form’s birthplace in New York City and Philadelphia, all the way across the water to London and beyond. In the mural’s main message of ‘one life, many styles,’ we also emphasize the fact that life is made up of a cross-pollination of ideas and human expression.”

While this work was unique because it was sponsored by a charity and came together as a community effort, other graffiti efforts in London are beginning to be recognized as being worthwhile contributions to the community.

The most prominent example comes in the case of world-renowned street artist “Banksy,” a Bristol, England, native whose controversial works of art have stirred city councils and community organizations around the world.

While some, such as Peter Gibson of Keep Britain Tidy, argue that Banksy’s work
“glorifies what is essentially vandalism,” others have celebrated his works as true art.

In fact, the Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery featured a large exhibition entitled “Banksy vs. Bristol Museum,” which drew crowds of thousands during the 12 weeks that it ran this past summer.

While few city councils have chosen to protect the work of graffiti artists, individuals and organizations are beginning to take action to protect Banksy’s works around the city.

I managed to find one of Banksy’s remaining works on Pollard Street in Bethnal Green, “Yellow Lines Flower Painter.”

The work, which is now missing some of its original paint, remains as the building’s owner has insisted that it is his choice, not the city council’s, on whether or not the work should be removed.

Now, Banksy fans who visit the work will notice a small addition above the painter’s head which reads, “Vandals found vandalising this vandalism will be prosecuted.”