Street Art <- clicken Sie here ...

Mathias and I were really excited when the Banksy movie "Exit Through The Gift Shop" came out, as we both like street art, and wanted to do our own stuff.

Since then I have been reflecting quite a lot on street art. I am not convinced, that it is such a great thing anymore.  The credo of the movement has been "taking art out of the museum and bringing it onto the street." Great idea. But when I read that in Australia this I punishable by law with up to 2 years in prison and up to $24,000 in fines, I began to question if street art is all about bringing art to the street. It is also about angering people who don´t want whatever somebody considers art on their street or their property. That's why making street art is so heavily fined.

Street art is a continuation of the graffiti scene that stared in the 70ies. This graffiti scene has since evolved into mass movement, until nowadays everybody and their brother thinks it to be cool to tag his name on some wall in the city. And not everybody and not everybody´s brother is particularly creative about it. Graffiti has become more a nuisance than an art movement. Hence people who own the walls get annoyed and ask legislature to do something about this nuisance. In the end graffiti "artists" get severely punished.

Now we have street artists, who currently seem to be much more creative than just scribbling their own name on a wall. But who is to say that creative things put on walls with permission have more right to stay there. At the pace street art is going won´t stay particularly creative, either, as everybody and their brother will think it to be cool to do street art. One can imagine what that leads to.

Two things can be observed:

  • The quality of street art will decline as the pace of the movement will pick up even more
  • The punishment of of street artist will rise as the annoyance of wall owners rises

I therefore propose he following: Find people who want their walls covered with art. You will solve both problems at once:


  • The quality of street art cannot drop below a minimal level, as wall owners won´t let prospective street artists just stencil their name on a wall
  • The street artists sanctioned by wall owners will stay free of punishment

A very important drawback off illegal street art is also solved: Illegal street art is often removed quickly, while legal street art is there to stay! What good is it if a street artist has to employ a videographer to document your art because it might be gone before anyone can lay an eye on it?

Will Smith is a whitie with a black face

Will is definitely not ma nigger, but I like this one ...