There are brilliant brilliant… talented… forward-thinking artists around the world (and here in South Africa) – who happen to like painting and drawing on public spaces.
I – for one – am utterly delighted when I see an interesting work of art in a public space… and would much, much rather see well-done street art — than enormous billboards and posters that the big brands and their ad agencies put up all over the place. I would also much rather enjoy street art than the morbid headlines that the big newspapers hang on every lamp-post! I can’t speak for other cities – but certainly, in Johannesburg, we are assaulted daily with ugly, depressing, branded imagery… and it’s ALWAYS trying to sell you something. Whether it’s trying to sell us products, services or newspapers!
Street art doesn’t try to sell you anything… but it often has a message nonetheless… here’s some interesting pieces that appeal to me:
One of my favourite groups of forward-thinking artists is Write on Africa. This is their philosophy:
CREATIVITY AND ART INSPIRING SOCIAL CHANGE.
We believe that inspiration creates change and if we can create inspiration, we can therefore create change.
The aim is to rejuvenate with colour and inspire the youth, each other and ourselves. Write on Africa is a platform for artists to create the change they wish to see.
I love street art too and those pics were stunning. Hate graffitti though!
I guess it depends on what you mean by “graffiti”. I think there’s some graffiti which is really beautifully done and interesting… but if it’s just people tagging random walls and street signs with their signatures – then that just seems a bit pointless to me. Either people have something to say or something to contribute – or they don’t. Being a rebel and a rule breaker is one thing – and especially if you have something interesting / powerful / relevant / controversial to say. But being a rebel – just for the sake of rebellion… is pointless. It’s like quaffing down a bottle of expensive wine – with the sole purpose of getting drunk.