Graffiti is a form of countercultural expression that emerged in the UK in the 1960s. It was largely influenced by the street art of America, particularly of New York City. It was closely associated with gangs, who used it for the purposes of marking territory, memorialising members and displaying acts committed by the gang (though “tagging” did not emerge until the 1990s). Interest in the idea of graffiti as an art form increased, and in the 1980s, Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat gained recognition, and went on to successful careers as painters.
During the 1970s, the rise of the youth subcultures and punk movement served to inspire graffiti as a form of political activism. Graffitti continued to increase in popularity, and by the 1980s had become more legitimized with the emergence of popular artists such as Banksy.
In the 1990s to 2000s, graffiti became more widely accepted due to festivals, galleries and street art tours, resulting in commercialisation.
Cultures that have utilised graffiti
- Hip hop culture
- Street artists
- Punk
- Political activists
- Gang cultures
- Other subcultures such as skaters
Purposes of graffiti
- Aesthetic, cultural and identity expression
- Political activism
- Territorial marking
- Anti-social behaviour/ thrill-seeking
- Commercial uses
Graffiti is a complex and interesting topic, and as an outsider with little previous knowledge there would be a steep learning curve required to understand it enough to base my project around it. I would be interested in exploring graffiti in the different native languages of the UK, however with time restraints, I don’t believe I would be able to travel and collect enough source material for the project, and I feel that it would be important to go to the communities in question so I could more fully understand them rather than sourcing the material third hand.
Source- Graffiti 2024. Britannica Academic. Retrieved 15 October 2024, from https://academic.eb.com/levels/collegiate/article/graffiti/343951