Is it Art or A Crime

There is a big debate over whether graffiti is art or vandalism but the answer is simpler the most seem to admit, graffiti is vandalism no matter where it is or how good it looks the reason for this is that you are painting an image or a word on something you don’t own and on occasion these people cause a lot more damage than just on a plain brick wall even if you might think otherwise, the only way around this being seen as vandalism is if you get permission from the owner of the building to paint on it. “Most graffiti art, however, is only an annoyance to the property owner” (Is Graffiti Art?) Saying that painting on someone else’s building is only an annoyance is an understatement because the owner needs to remove the paint themselves or pay someone to remove it for them and this could cost hundreds of dollars to get it removed.

“Large cities typically budget more money toward graffiti removal. In 2006, Chicago budgeted $6.5 million while Omaha, Nebraska spends about $100,000 annually,” (Graffiti as Vandalism) This proves that there is a massive problem with graffiti in big cities that are costing the public millions to fix. In addition to the fact that this is illegal, there is nothing preventing these people from painting on a canvas or convincing the owner to let them use the wall, and if these people paint on something like a canvas they could sell it to make money which would help these people make money and make a living. “It hardly makes sense to encourage these artists to deface public property, and so commit a crime. But perhaps there are other ways to cooperate with graffiti artists rather than just opposing them. Graffiti artists can create sanctioned murals for private property owners and get paid for it.” (Is Graffiti Art?) There are many cities that have large artworks on the inside of airports or train stations these graffiti artists could be the ones to make these works to help promote their other work. This would also help make graffiti be seen as art more than just vandalism as it would be more respected if more people buy it. “One of the most famous graffiti artists, Banksy, has had his work shown in galleries such as Sotheby’s in London. Despite his anonymity, the British artist has gained tremendous popularity. Celebrities such as Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have purchased his work for a hefty price.” (Graffiti as Art) This shows that there are other options for these people that don’t need massive changes to how they live you wonder what makes these people continue to commit crimes and deface property.

“Griffiti…bravo!” by mahbub kabir is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.