“Talking Walls: Exploring Graffiti as ‘Artivism’ in Public Spaces” by Mariza de Alencar e Paiva | Master’s Thesis
Abstract: “This paper intends to discuss the relationship between graffiti as an urban art expression and the
appropriation of public spaces, exploring implicit urban narratives in this kind of art from the streets.
Moreover, it relates the graffiti typologies with the content of the messages sent to the viewers/users of
the public space, as an attempt to understand the influence that these expressions can have in issues
such as appropriation, transformation and the contesting of certain areas of the urban tissue. Therefore,
it analyses the production of both visual and textual material produced in subcultural, privately
commissioned and institutional situations, aiming to investigate the role of graffiti and street art as
mediators of a broader collective voice. This research also explores the content of the narratives and
studies the relationship between the places and the themes, while aware of the volatility surrounding
this subject.
The first part of this work consists on the construction of the theoretical backup, achieved through
bibliographic review. The opening chapter sets out the relevant concepts related to the theme, a brief
historical overview and the types of graffiti to be analysed in later chapters and ends by highlighting
the contradiction inherent in the collective perception of graffiti – which has oscillated constantly
between acceptable and rejected. Following, the narratives are discussed, along with their contents and
their possible connection to collective claims. This same chapter also includes the importing and
exporting of themes and narratives, examining the political statements that permeate these messages. It
is important to emphasize at this point that the definition of the typologies and the classification of the
narratives was fundamental because it served as basis for investigating the relationship between
content and location, and how graffiti can be used as a tool for contesting and for activism in the
current urban context. Then, and to conclude the theoretical part, the possible connection between
content and the location is examined, both worldwide and within the urban environment itself.
Subsequently, a section related to the investigation is introduced, and the methodology used for the
research is established, followed by the comparative study of cases involving cities in Brazil and in
Portugal, followed by the evaluation of the data collected through interviews with street artists.
It was possible to observe the existence of a close relationship between street art – especially graffiti in
all its output categories – and the claiming of public spaces and public issues through ‘artivism’(art +
activism). That has been noticeable in many cities worldwide, including Brazilian and Portuguese
ones. This reveals a current and growing phenomenon, capable of surpassing territorial frontiers, that
is paralleling happening in several places around the globe, evidencing a pattern of contestation and
appropriation of the public spaces mediated by artistic expressions inside contemporary cities.”
Keywords: Graffiti, Urban Narratives, Collective Expression, Contradiction, “Artivism”
This master’s dissertation, written by Mariza de Alencar e Paiva, was defended in 2020 at FEUP/FAUP for the Master’s Degree in Spatial Planning and Urban Project at the University of Porto. The dissertation is available, in English, at the Open Repository of the University of Porto.
Photo: Lucas Novais / Passeio’s Archive
ANO
2020
AUTORES
Mariza de Alencar e Paiva
EDITORES
Prof. Dr. Sara Maria dos Santos Rodrigues da Cruz
