Shoreditch, East London, has arguably the highest concentration of street art in the UK. For such a small area it brings in visitors by the thousands. Countless blogs post photos of every single hidden gem they’ve unearthed. Each racks up online “likes” and “hits” on a scale of Prince Harry proportions, well not quite, but you get the idea. Slowly growing the scene has exploded in the last few years and it’s settling down within mainstream culture quite comfortably these days. A new generation of admirers, wannabes and fans, has spawned, many of which have geared up and hit the streets themselves. Everyone wants to get out and show the world what they’ve got. The only problem is the large majority of them haven’t got a clue what exactly it is they’re trying to say.
Art is, by its nature, subjective. This of course means art on the street is no different. Therefore, anything written on the subject, should, of course, maintain this direction. For the purpose of this article I aim, not to glorify or slam any artists, nor offend any fans or bloggers, but simply to put my two cents into the pot.
I grew up in a small town outside Glasgow, Scotland, the street art scene there was, I think it’s pretty fair to say subjectively speaking, awful, actually, more like non-existent. The only way I really had a means of tapping into it was online. This is something I’m sure many people can relate to. I remember the sheer impact of seeing these amazing murals painted on walls and the awe I had for Banksy’s witticisms and social commentary. I instantly fell in love.
Several years later, I now live, in one of the most sought after street art locations in the world. I feel incredibly lucky to be able to walk out my door and see work by artists like Conor Harrington, Roa and Vhils. However, amongst these giants and gems, there’s a never-ending stream of soulless, mind-numbingly banal gift-shop crap.
The Independent, the Telegraph and now even the Sun have all written articles on street art in the last week alone, and that’s not even including the hundreds of Banksy articles currently circulating following the Wood Green incident. However, each and every article is nothing more than passive commentary on the abundance of art in the area, or what feels like a search for the “next Banksy”. It feels like there a massive gap in people prepared to say that just because art is on the street doesn’t mean it’s good.
Graffiti and street art give people a voice, a tool that can be used to challenge space, to make people think or to engage into conversation about social issues. It crosses barriers of race, ethnicity, gender and class. It’s simply there for anyone and everyone to experience, a unique tool that can bring communities together. Just one example of this is the recent replication of Gustav Klimt’s “The Kiss” by Tammam Assam in Syria.
Every “like” and post online for stencils of celebrities and done-to-death images of supposedly poignant subject matter, is a slap in the face of the artists that have fought for years to really challenge the way we look at the space around us and engage with the community.
To the artists themselves, quality, not quantity is the way forward. We have enough drivel thrown at us daily by News International and its celebrity-loving claw. Let’s keep the tabloid ethos off the streets. To the fans, think about why you like something. If the answer is in any way related to the technical ability, the style, the content or the message about the piece or artist, then brilliant. However, if the answer is, “oh there’s an image of a kid-holding a gun, that’s deep” or “look it’s a stencil of her from the film” then, fair play to you, you’re entitled to do that, but you should probably lay of the Heat magazine and X-Factor.
This is merely one person’s view. I don’t for one second believe everyone reading this will agree with what I’m saying, but street art is filled with very strong opinions, now you have mine.