Graffiti in Canberra: Devient Creativity
- Leon Stoljar
- May 22, 2021
- 6 min read
By Leon Stoljar
The word ‘graffiti’ comes from the Italian word ‘graffiato’ which means scratched, and refers to words or markings that either were etched into the walls of public places in ancient Rome with sharp tools or produced with coal or chalk. The word ‘scratched’ conjures an image of an unrefined, ugly vandalism, a symbol of the ever present deviant underbelly in otherwise beautiful and pure cities. But graffiti can also mean something more creative, even artistic.
Perhaps the most famous form of graffiti is tagging. Although there were many different graffiti-like activities present through many different eras in history, the concept of tagging was not recognised until the late 1960s in Philadelphia (Capitolo, 2018). Tagging is the act of writing a certain word or picture, specific to the artist. Often the artists will be known by their tags in place of their real names as what they do is illegal.
The first artist to do this and gain any kind of recognition was Taki 183 (Image 1), who was prominent in New York City in the early 1970s and targeted trains and subway stations. Although Taki 183 has been respected and renowned in the art world for more than 30 years, having many positive articles written about him and even putting on exhibitions of his work in galleries, he has never revealed his full name (Kenndedy, 2011). This contributed to the sense of mystery surrounding graffiti.
Here in Canberra, graffiti can be found almost everywhere. The legally designated areas where the professional street artists paint wall to wall murals of superheroes and animals, with no fear of being questioned by security, they can take their time. Electricity Boxes bejeweled in homemade stickers (Image 2). The wonderland of colour and unseen significance that is the back alley of a local shops.
But Canberra’s graffiti scene is home to a large quantity of artists, most with a unique tag. When you ask “Who is the most prominent graffiti artist in Canberra?” The names that most often come up are Irun (Image ), Vudoz (Image ), Moek (Image 4) and Dbuk (Image 5). These names are instantly recognisable to anyone in or around the scene, or even just someone who’s walk to work just happens to be under a bridge or past a sports shed on a school oval.
Originally the basic aim of tagging was to cover as much of an area as possible. But now, the more significant element of tagging is location. Places have distinction in every society. For a work of graffiti to hold any substantial significance within the community it's all about location and the line between risk and recognition. For example tagging a tram (Image 6) or a highschool is dangerous: if you are caught it may result in jail time. On the other hand your merit and verification within the community would increase considerably in just one go.
Style is another word artists use to describe the artistic value a piece of graffiti has. It measures how attractive or complex the writing design is or how striking the piece is visually with its use of colour or artful techniques. There is something of a split in the graffiti community. Some believe the most important aspect of tagging is the difficulty of the location. For example, Bask (Image 7), whose piece on the wall of a Civic office building is regarded as one of the most impressive tags in all of Canberra, but the technical application is sub-par according to fellow artists. Many of the artists interviewed for this essay lent more towards style over location, but still recognised the less skilled but more daring facet of tagging as equally valid and essential to the culture. In fact, an appreciation for creativity seems specific to the graffiti scene in Canberra. There is a strong sense of contention amongst artists, over whether rookie artists are good enough. For some, their apparent lack of personality or creativity is enough to draw criticism. The slang for these unskilled, uncreative taggers is “Toys”. Those who fall under this category in the eyes of the more experienced artists are at risk of their tags being capped (writing over someone else’s work with malicious intent). “Sketching in your black book is the best way to practice, you need to do this as much as possible before you hit the streets. Because if you don’t do that your stuff is gonna look shit” said one experienced local they continued, “It’s all about trying to find your own style and trying new things.”
It’s interesting to see this almost aggressive devotion to upholding the artistic standards of vandalism, and how important it is for these artists that Canberra’s walls are home to just as impressive pieces as other, more prominent graffiti areas, like Sydney or Melbourne.
The question, though, is, why do it? Tagging one of the only visual artforms with real legal risk, and with no financial incentive. Why then not make art on a canvas? In response to this, the graffiti artists smiled. One of them said, “People don’t realise what an escape it is or how good it can be for your mental, its being creative but also active and being part of a community”.
Community is a word many of the artists used a lot. It’s a strange concept, building a community through an act of creative deviance. A way to understand it, though, is to see graffiti as a mode of rebellion., Its unacceptability in most of society is essential to it, since it creates a sense of ‘them’ versus ‘us’. Almost all of the graffiti artists interviewed were young adults, between the ages 16 and 20, prime candidates for the aberrant creative outlet that so commonly occurs in the twilight of adolescence. Many of them got their start writing curse words on the undersides of their primary school desks, mastering the ‘stussy s’ and pantagrams before anyone else. From there they experimented with stencils and sharpies in public bathrooms. Many are unaware of the culture or significance of what they were getting themselves into, just writing for the sake of it. Those who fail to learn the history, customs or ethics or who fail to improve stylistically are the ones who became known as toys.
Graffiti as an art form is inherently deviant. While other specific examples of art as political protest relies on content to push the anti-authority message. The music of Rage Against The Machine or the paintings of Jean Michael Basquiat come to mind. The cry for a political change is loud and very apparent in these art forms. But somehow spray painting an arbitrary word can speak just as loudly as a song or painting with apparently much more content in it.
In the movie, ‘Style Wars’, about the graffiti scene in New York City in 1983, the narrator says “most see it (graffiti) a never ending plague and a reminder that they have lost control.” It is this frustrated temperament that wider society and in particular authoritative figures view the artform that so actively empower the artists to continue. Some may look at the word creativity and define it as originality or inventiveness, but an alternative way is to see a creative activity is one that differs from or even alters regular civilization. Graffiting on a public wall changes the physical appearance of a whole city. The question must be asked, What would Canberra look like if all the graffiti was buffed (professionally removed) and not replaced. The street art gives an alternative personality to Canberra, a city that may be exclusively labeled as impersonal or colourless. To outsiders, Canberra’s primary characteristics are authoritative and political, so it inspirits Canberrans to have this conflicting narrative of an art scene that is viewed as a “plague” or a “loss of control”. It gives them a sense of city pride when Canberra’s reputation is damaged by some of the actions of parliament house.
For some of Canberra’s graffiti artists, it’s a creative outlet, for some it’s social and symbolic rebellion, for some it’s both. For the majority it’s continuing a legacy. A legacy of revolution, ingenuity and creativity. This legacy is full of customs and ethics. But also an intense expectation of artistic standards, so deep rooted in the community, artists who do not take the time to sharpen their skills are ostracized and called “toys”. Although the graffiti scene is an art community and uses creativity in every one of its pieces, it is not a community that Tara Cheyne, minister for the arts would be proud to endorse. Perhaps a more underground, unprofitable brand of creativity equals a more authentic one.
Images:
Image 1: Taki 183
Image 2: Electricity box covered in stickers
Image 3: Irun
Image 4: Moek
Image 5: Dbuk/ Oint
Image 6: Broke on a tram
Photo credit: cbr._graff
Image 7: Bask
Bibliography
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