Graffiti art

Graffiti art is imagery or text, usually applied to buildings and other urban surfaces, most often using aerosol spray paint. Modern graffiti as a cultural phenomenon took shape in the late 1960s and 1970s in the poorer districts of American cities, above all New York and Philadelphia, where young people began writing their nicknames, or tags, on walls and subway trains. Simple signatures soon grew into complex, colourful multi-letter compositions—wild style and monumental pieces. Graffiti was closely linked to hip-hop culture and often had a rebellious, illegal character, raising questions about the right to public space. In the 1980s graffiti entered the gallery art world: landmark figures in this transition were Jean-Michel Basquiat, who began with street writing under the tag SAMO, and Keith Haring with his instantly recognisable pictographic images. The tradition was later continued by street-art culture, notably the anonymous British artist Banksy. Graffiti art remains a contested phenomenon—viewed at once as vandalism and as a powerful form of popular, democratic self-expression that has significantly influenced visual culture, design and contemporary art.