Graffiti: New themes and relations through digital technologies

Graffiti is present in our daily lives and has gained recognition worldwide. It is a form of artistic expression with great power of communication, as a way of giving voice and new impressions to places that, through the painting of walls, building and trains, inserts itself into the visual culture, in an atmosphere of constant artistic manifestations within public spaces, arising feelings and emotions. An art that is accessible for all, with no distinction of social class, ethnicity or intellectual level. In comparison to more traditional visual arts, the durability of graffiti and [its] murals is shorter, but this reduced durability is largely compensated by their wide popular reach, their power of intervention and integration into the urban atmosphere and their ability of dialoguing with everyone who passes through, in a humanized communication that places the urban setting within a different level of contemporaneity.

With graffiti, public spaces move from the primacy of functionality to spaces of sociability, as an artistic language that provokes a community feeling to integrate popular cultural practices, contributing to a metamorphosis of the city. An art that has, at its core, direct communication and multiple meanings, influencing habits (customs), advertising, design and fashion. “In this sense, amidst the connection between aesthetics and art, it makes sense for graffiti to be included in fashion, as it is captivating and youthful” (Ribeiro, 2017, p. 19). In addition, graffiti was an artistic language that had its origins in protests, passing through marginalization until it reached the creation of murals and achieved the status of a work of art. “The evolution of street art, from graffiti to murals, reflects a significant transformation in urban artistic expressions” (Araújo, 2004, p. 1). Currently, several graffiti artists have their work on display in famous art galleries and museums, as well as in biennials created exclusively for this segment of the visual arts. However, two urban artists are also credited with breaking this paradigm that graffiti was initially considered just an act of vandalism: such as Jean-Michel Basquiat, who began his artistic career graffitiing the walls of buildings in Manhattan and later became a celebrity in the field of contemporary art, with works focused on social issues.

“Basquiat’s paintings were also images that attacked the structures and systems of racism, while his poetics were a vehicle for his critique of colonialism” (Marques & Nunes 2013, p. 9); and also Keith Haring, who introduced a style of murals strongly influenced by Pop Art in the stairwells and subways of New York City, works with original themes within the universe of graffiti, namely works linked to the fight against prejudice towards people infected with HIV, AIDS prevention and themes related to homosexuality. Keith Haring has also placed his works on consumer goods, T-shirts, mugs and notebooks, as well as working in the field of advertising.

Given the new themes addressed by these artists and others, alongside the advent of new communication technologies, it is important to note that graffiti has been taken to new heights, both in terms of the world of communication and the new themes presented by its creators. Graffiti, which is one of the pillars of the Hip-Hop movement, has been considered a new form of art, since social networks have become a kind of virtual expansion of walls, buildings and urban objects. It has thus gained a different kind of visibility for the general public, in terms of the murals created on walls in different countries. In these virtual support extensions, when these creations are displayed on social networks, there is no fixed time limit, which results in a new perspective for society regarding urban interventions.

Transformations and fusions of techniques are present in the essence of graffiti, as an element of display, composition, message, style and content. “It is a mutable and increasingly globalized language, present in different shades around the four corners of the planet” (Campos, 2012, p. 5). Apart from walls (private or public) and street furniture, trains were the only mobile means for writers to circulate their creations in different regions. The role of Hip-Hop magazine publications must also be worthy of note. However, social networks have significantly increased the dissemination of murals to more people. Blogs, websites and other vehicles of virtual communication have contributed to the growth of new relationships, contributing to the professionalism of these urban artists. It is imperative to note that, due to new communication technologies, the emergence of Networks and artistic residencies linked to the world of urban art has multiplied. And because of this, non-rebellious graffiti is increasingly taking on greater proportions. In addition, graffiti, combined with new communication technologies, is also able to help much more effectively in the fight against prejudice in peripheral and social neighborhoods. In these ways, the murals created in these areas are disseminated around the world and contribute to an emergence of point-of-view that are free of prejudice and based on libertarian feelings: the areas “gain new meanings and configurations and become important in the collective act of expression, communication, but also education” (Pawlak, 2024). In Portugal, for example, we can mention Bairro Quinta do Mocho and Bairro Padre Cruz, both in Lisbon, Loulé, in the District of Faro and Bairro da Cumieira in the city of Fafe, where, in 2023, through the project Café Cultural Residências Artísticas, in partnership with the Fafe’s City Council, three murals were made through the curatorship and direction of the project, which was enough for us to notice the positive reaction of that community, in the sense of preserving and being proud of the place where they live.

 

Figures 01 e 02 – Mari Pavaneli working in the mural (2023). Photograph: J. Vicente dos Santos (Vicente Coda)

Figure 03 – Finished mural. Artist: Mari Pavanelli (2023), Bairro da Cumieira-Fafe. Photograph: J. Vicente dos Santos (Vicente Coda)

The first mural created in Bairro da Cumieira, in honor of women, was by Brazilian artist Mari Pavanelli, followed by the creations of artists Giusepp Amed (Italy) and João Laranja (Portugal). The mural created by artist Giusepp Amed was inspired by the “Still Life” style, entitled “Live Nature and Don’t Kill It”, making an analogy with the name of this classic style [the “Still Life” style is called Natureza Morta in Portuguese, which could be literally translated as “Dead Nature”, hence the wordplay], in which the artist proposes a reflection on the problems caused by pollution and, at the same time, warns us of the importance of recycling disposable objects to preserve the environment.

Figures 04 e 05 – Giusepp Amed working in the mural (2023). Bairro da Cumieira-Fafe. Photograph: J. Vicente dos Santos (Vicente Coda)

Figure 06 – Finished mural. Artist: Giusepp Amed (2023), Bairro da Cumieira-Fafe. Photograph: J. Vicente dos Santos (Vicente Coda)

The third mural, created by the artist João Laranja, was aimed at children. Strategically created in a small square in the neighborhood, it depicts child’s play, which were common in the past, with the aim of not letting them [child’s play] be forgotten with the passing of time.

Figures 07 e 08 – João Laranja working in the mural (2023). Bairro da Cumieira-Fafe. Photograph: J. Vicente dos Santos (Vicente Coda)

Figure 09 – Finished mural. Artist: João Laranja (2023), Bairro da Cumieira-Fafe. Photograph: J. Vicente dos Santos (Vicente Coda)

Social networks were fundamental in giving the curators of project Café Cultural Residências Artísticas access to the work of these three artists mentioned above. To take part in the project as an artist-in-residence, you need to sign up to the call for proposals or receive a proposal from the organization. This is yet another example of the frequent links between artists and institutions that work with urban arts using digital technology. “Digital technologies are asserting themselves as the unquestionable protagonists of new social and cultural dynamics” (Campos, 2012, p. 13). Like any other artistic residency project, it would be very difficult for Café Cultural Residências Artísticas to bring together, in an yearly basis, eight artists of different nationalities to create murals and give workshops in various institutions such as secondary schools, pensioners’ associations and Cercis, without the existence of new communication technologies. And the process of creating graffiti in housing estates and social neighborhoods, instigates curiosity in people, leading to a proximity with the artists, as in a relationship of exchange of knowledge with that locality, a kind of reproductive cell of artistic influences that exhibit works in public spaces and in the digital universe through social networks, for the entire public, a reality that has a strong positive influence on people.

Author: José Vicente dos Santos (Vicente Coda)

Vicente is a Master in Communication, Art and Culture. PhD in Communication Sciences. Cultural Producer, creator and curator of the Café Cultural Residências Artísticas project (Urban Art). Visual Artist, author of theatrical plays and musician.

Published in October 11th of 2024

References

 

Araújo, Y.B.(2004). A Evolução da arte de rua: do graffiti aos murais. https://kulturkaleidoskop.com/?p=1856

Campos, R., (2012). A pixelização dos muros: graffiti urbano, tecnologias digitais e cultura visual contemporânea. Revista FAMECOS: mídia, cultura e tecnologia, 19(2), 543-566.

Marques, J. & Nunes, T. (2013). Jean-Michel Basquiat. https://tiagornunes.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/book-basquiat.pdf

Pawlak, S. (2024). O que as paredes nos ensinam? A arte de rua como potencial de educação. Dissertação de Mestrado, Universidade do Porto. https://repositorio-aberto.up.pt/handle/10216/159446

Ribeiro, T. B. (2017). Roupa urbana, a moda e o graffite. Trabalho de Conclusão de Curso (Graduação) — Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná, Apucarana. https://repositorio.utfpr.edu.br/jspui/bitstream/1/5818/2/AP_CODEM_2017_2_01.pdf

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