There is a lot of graffiti in Melbourne. “Tagging” is something that I really hate; it looks terrible and basically defiles the surface on which it is written, as well as costing hundreds of thousand of dollars to remove. Commissioned graffiti “art” in dedicated laneways is something I don’t feel so angry about, and even sometimes admire. The difference between “art” and “crap on a wall” is very subjective, though.
In January 2008, I took my friend Lucy, a Sydneysider whom I met on LiveJournal, to various Melbourne tourist attractions. One of these included Hosier Lane. Here are some of the resulting photos.
Good, except for the tags at the bottom. I classify the fox as “art”. Do you?
Since taking this photo, I’ve noticed this, or similar in multiple locations. There’s one in Swanston Street on the way to university, for example.
And finally, this is what I hate. It looks terrible.
Fascinating graffiti. I’m with you though — the tagging is horribly insipid and ugly. Though I once read somewhere (or heard?) that they commission people to graffiti places that are highly likely to be defiled by tagging, as a deterrent? But then people who tag aren’t going to care if they defile a piece of “art” or a pristine wall! I particularly like the swirls in the photograph underneath the fox. Rather stylish.
We have places a lot like that here in Toronto. I actually did a photoshoot in a very similar place two years in a row.
I definitely think that graffiti can be art. It’s ridiculous to say that it isn’t. Obviously not all of it is (tagging, for example, isn’t), but quite a lot of it is! It may not be legal, but it’s still art. If somebody painted that fox on canvas, for example, it would be considered proper art.
I really love that one green wall. The colours are fantastic.
I’m sooo jealous of their talent. I hate the tagging-to-be-tagging thing, too. It’s ugly. Nothing pleasing about it, and it’s just plain stupid….’Oh joy. My name. I’ve put it on a wall, and someone’s going to come along and plaster their name over it. Hot diggity-dog!” …but the other pictures are very cool, and some would make awesome t-shirts
I particularly like the first, third, and seventh pictures; they look more like a collage or something out of a print or design portfolio than what you’d typically see on a wall.
Maybe it’s because I don’t come across much graffiti where I live, but I still find tagging more fascinating than annoying. I’m sure I’d feel differently if I had to see it everyday, though.
I love these, the first especially. We barely have any graffiti here. I try to contribute, of course. The weeping Mary is interesting.
I do think tagging is art. It’s extremely primitive, but in a way, I think the people who tag are saying something about their culture/life/outlook as well, whether they realize it consciously or not. It’s expression. I want to think that if we found tagging from ten bazillion years ago, we would treasure it. Each tagging has its own story behind it.
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