Is Graffiti art or vandalism and age old question

Many people argue the issue of whether graffiti is art or vandalism the issue has been a problem for many years throughout the world where people can be seen using graffiti as an art form to express a message or ideology that they can put up for everyone to see, I believe that graffiti is a way to liven and make people more intertwined into communities although graffiti can be used to portray and display wrong and hurtful messages the same as any form of expression.

graffiti is an art form where people are free to express themselves and use their creativity many people think of graffiti as a negative because of the many connotations such as “When an area has extensive graffiti, people tend to view it as a “bad neighborhood.” Nearby property value may decrease and crime may increase”(Dolan 4) and that has brought the idea of that just because of the graffiti that is the only factor that is involved in the increase of violence. another argument that is brought up against graffiti is that it is a gateway crime and often when people begin tagging private and public property that could lead them into harder crimes. “that tagging may be a “gateway crime,” which may lead young offenders to serious or dangerous crimes such as truancy and drug and alcohol use. (Dolan 4) which is often seen as a negative of graffiti and a reason for much of its opposition.

Graffiti has come a long way from just being vandalism on a wall or sign it has grown and adapted through the years and it has always had a deeper message than someone just tagging their signature on a piece of property “The messages have also evolved. Graffiti has always been somewhat political, but it has come a long way from simply tagging one’s name to parodying world leaders to make a statement.”(Dolan 3) now with the increase of appeal of graffiti as a higher art rather than just petty vandalism artists are being paid for their work to be done legally without fear of being arrested and tried on charges of vandalism or property damage. Many art galleries have noticed the appreciation of graffiti rather than it being a lower form of art “Graffiti art has been shown in various galleries in New York and London, and artists are often commissioned to do legal murals and other work for art shows.”(Dolan 3)

This is why I believe that graffiti is more than just vandalism and that it should and that graffiti should not have such a bad rep as people believe just because some small artists throw their tags all over public and private property I believe that graffiti is greater than vandalism it is a way of artistic expression and using art to express ideas or ideology.

“Grafiti” by bartb_pt is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

“‘Silly Rabbits…Trix Are 4 Toys’ TNS Oakland Grafiti Art” by anarchosyn is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.