Public Art has existed for thousands of years. From Aboriginal cave drawings to the ingenious ‘Kilroy Was Here’ tags during WWII, humanity has always had an impulse to express and communicate with one another via publicly viewable spaces. With totem poles and mountain carvings as early examples, some societies pushed ahead, using cathedral ceilings as canvas and placing value on commissioned art only seen by the few. As Western art and culture emerged, the divide grew between sanctioned “fine art” and artists creating “outsider art” for a wider public.
Today, artists of many genres have employed walls and other public viewing spaces as a way to express their work, while those considered “professionals” are viewed in galleries. As real estate and privatization interests continue to increase their influence over the public sector, sanctioned institutions continue to dictate what art is and more so, where it can be displayed and ultimately, by whom.
Too often these interests see street paintings and street culture as a stain, a blemish damaging their market value and businesses, instead of a rich and viable part of society’s fabric, where artists communicate with the public and each other.
While paid messages are allowed and arguably over-saturate our public spaces to the point of nuisance, street art is hyper-criminalized and chemically removed. And yet, the influence of street art on popular culture including the messages emerging from Madison Avenue, is undeniable.
Some of today’s most respected artists - former writers and street artists themselves – are forced to choose between the ranks of the gallery movement and private interests and the desire to nurture and express their talents in the public sphere, essentially to avoid prosecution.
This dichotomy has created a modern urban art problem/challenge/opportunity.
The Walls Belong to Us is an example of the strength and solidarity that exists among many of the urban folk artists of today, gathering those who have been affected by this social paradigm and creating discourse, exchange and self-acceptance. It is a community space by, for and about the artists, with the intention to challenge the notions of who can exist where; who can have access; and ultimately, who can experience and enjoy the work itself.
Together these artists, former taggers, writers, stencilers, wheat pasters, agitators and supporters gather to celebrate and showcase their work, while bringing attention to the ever-growing hyper-criminalization of public art.
Today - The Walls Belong to Us.
