Full Exhibit THESIS Dating back to prehistoric times, wall writing has been a way for humans to communicate with each other and to future generations. Hieroglyphics, which can be viewed as an early form of graffiti, have evolved into stone inscriptions on grave sites and eventually to the spray-painted murals that are seen today. Graffiti is a form of communication that reaches beyond any language to tell a story. It allows us to raise awareness for political issues and to begin social movements through art. Graffiti has given many people a voice to communicate messages that may otherwise have been silenced. Left Top Panel Photo Source Credit Text: Photo 1: Prehistoric Drawings in the Magura Cave in Bulgaria, Courtesy of NK Photography; Photo 2: Cave in Bandelier National Monument in New Mexico; Photo 3: Kilroy was HERE, Courtesy of Smithsonian; Photo 4: Kilroy Was Here at WWII Memorial, Courtesy of Almany Left Top Panel Text FROM CAVE ART TO WWII Humans have used walls to communicate since the dawn of mankind. People love to tell stories through art and leave behind records of their lives. Over the years, humans have written on walls and other objects to leave different kinds of messages. “It begins almost when man did, when he was the Paleolithic Homo sapiens, living in a cave… There is plenty of indication that man has been trying to put it, if not in writing then certainly in drawing, since prehistoric days. To judge by available evidence, he was almost from his very beginnings a doodler and, therefore, a graffitist.” Robert Reisner Graffiti: Two Thousand Years of Wall Writing Left Top Panel Text “Man is a natural communicator. A thought occurs to someone suddenly, or something is experienced during the day, and there is a compulsion to express it, if not to another person, then to whatever is close at hand: paper, wall, rock, tree, door. Graffiti, then, are little insights, little peepholes into the minds of individuals who are spokesmen not only for themselves but for others like them.” Robert Reisner Graffiti: Two Thousand Years of Wall Writing During WWII, graffiti evolved significantly from the prehistoric inscriptions that it had once been. American soldiers frequently left graffiti that they called Kilroy in the different places that they went as a way to communicate with with the soldiers who would later occupy the same spaces. “The Kilroy graffiti was comforting and a little bit rebellious, because they were told not to, but it spread all over the world. No matter how bad it got crawling out of that foxhole everyday, when they found a Kilroy they’d know someone was there before and survived. It was so important to every GI.” Pat Tiller Atlas Obscura, Kilroy Monument Left Center Panel Photo Source Credit Text: Photo 1: Taki183, Manhattan, Courtesy of GettyImages; Photo 2: Cornbread, Courtesy of GettyImages; Photo 3: Hosier Lane in Central Melbourne, Courtesy of The Guardian; Photo 4: Bus 166 Graffiti Art, L.A., Courtesy of Infamy Art Left Center Panel Text I WAS HERE Contemporary graffiti began in the 1960s when artists called taggers set out to leave their mark on the world. Taggers such as Cornbread, Taki 183, and Julio 204 started signing their names in paint all over various cities. “Early graffiti artists were commonly called ‘writers’ or ‘taggers’ (individuals who write simple ‘tags,’ or their stylized signatures, with the goal of tagging as many locations as possible.) Indeed, the fundamental underlying principle of graffiti practice was the intention to ‘get up,’ to have one's work seen by as many people as possible, in as many places as possible.” The Art Story Street and Graffiti Art Left Center Panel Text “However, widely practised though it is, and more widely noticed than ever, graffiti remains the twilight means of communication, a dialogue between the anonymous individual and the world.” Robert Reisner Graffiti: Two Thousand Years of Wall Writing In a similar fashion to the prehistoric man, these taggers felt the need to be remembered. The use of contemporary graffiti was their own way to feel recognized. Left Bottom Panel Photo Source Credit Text: Photo 1: I was Here- Classic L’Atlas, Courtesy of Wooster Collection; Photo 2: Sir Kub, City of L.A., Courtesy of The Graffiti Machine; Photo 3: KAP Tag in Queens, Courtesy of TPA Photography Left Bottom Panel Text “If you’ve ever walked down the street, seen a name, and wondered what that marking meant, I’ll tell you: It means somebody is telling you a story about who they are and what they are prepared to do to make you aware of it. Every time a name is written, a story gets told. It's a short story: ‘I was here.’” Stephen Powers The Art of Getting Over: Graffiti at the Millenium “No one person better illustrates this than KAP. He was a Philadelphia writer who constructed his own myth. He called himself “the Bicentennial Kid,” and in 1976 set out on a course to ensure his name would be remembered. He wrote on everything, but it was a print on the Liberty Bell two weeks before the big Fourth of July celebration that ensured his immortality. Mayor Rizzo personally offered to break his fingers, which, as any Philly writer will tell you, was a gold-medal moment. KAP died of leukemia in November of that year. But then he’s still here, isn’t he?” Stephen Powers The Art of Getting Over: Graffiti at the Millenium Center Top Panel Photo Source Credit Text: Photo 1: Always With Us, Courtesy of Sir Kub; Photo 2: Secret, Courtesy of GettyImages; Photo 3: Graffitied Subway in 1984, Courtesy of ATI Center Top Panel Text VANDALISM OR ART? In the 1980s, graffiti began to be classified as vandalism by local authorities. Cleaning crews hired to eradicate graffiti were soon all over cities attempting to paint over the messes. “Soon after graffiti began appearing on city surfaces, subway cars and trains became major targets for New York City's early graffiti writers and taggers, as these vehicles traveled great distances, allowing the writer's name to be seen by a wider audience.” The Art Story Street and Graffiti Art “Having scribbles freely applied on public property with apparently no punishment seemed to contribute to the overall sense of lawlessness that plagued the metropolis in this period.” Eli Anapur Wide Walls Center Center Panel Photo Source Credit Text: Photo 1: South Ferry Bound 1 Train, 1981, Courtesy of Historic Pictures; Photo 2: New York Subway, 1980, Courtesy of GettyImages; Photo 3: Sir Kub’s Graffitied Train, Courtesy of Sir Kub Center Center Panel Text “In 1984, the MTA launched its Clean Car Program, which involved a five-year plan to completely eliminate graffiti on subway cars, operating on the principle that a graffiti-covered subway car could not be put into service until all the graffiti on it had been cleaned off… However graffiti was anything but eradicated. In the past few decades, this practice has spread around the world, often maintaining elements of the American wildstyle.” The Art Story Street and Graffiti Art Making graffiti illegal only added to the adrenaline of participating in what was now seen as an act of rebellion. Receiving attention for their art became more of an achievement as these artists fought against the law. Center Center Panel Text “It was fun but no one legitimately wants to be wanted by the law unless you’re some kind of sociopath. But you walk that line in graffiti because you want as many people as possible to see it.” Mike Monack “MOOK” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette “Graffiti on subway cars began as crude, simple tags, but as tagging became increasingly popular, writers had to find new ways to make their names stand out… It did not take long for the crude tags to grow in size, and to develop into artistic, colorful pieces that took up the length of entire subway cars.” The Art Story Street and Graffiti Art Center Bottom Panel Photo Source Credit Text: Photo 1: West Bank Guard, Courtesy of GettyImages; Photo 2: Banksy’s Napalm Child 2004, Courtesy of GettyImages; Photo 3: Who Cheated?, Courtesy of Banksy; Photo 4: Under the Rug, Courtesy of Banksy; Photo 5: A Child’s Lost Hope, Courtesy of Banksy Center Bottom Panel Text STREET ART EMERGED In the early 90s, a new form of wall art called street art was born. The focus of street art is to communicate messages through painted images. An anonymous artist from England, named Banksy, used street art as a way to create political statements. “Though Banksy’s identity was well guarded, he came to notice as a freehand graffiti artist in 1993. Using stencils since 2000 to enhance his speed, he developed a distinctive iconography of highly recognizable images, such as rats and policemen, that communicated his antiauthoritarian message. With wry wit and stealth, Banksy merged graffiti art with installation and performance.” Debra N. Mancoff Britannica Center Bottom Panel Text “Arguably the most controversial street artist in the world, the works of Banksy have become a subculture in their own right. Banksy’s political statements and disruptive vision have impacted cities across the globe at vital moments in recent history, provoking alternative viewpoints and encouraging revolution in the art world.” The Art Story Street and Graffiti Art “Banksy used his dark humour and political views to make statements on current conflicts, discussions and social events. His work of political commentary can be found throughout the whole world, on streets, walls and bridges.” Petra van de Gevel Debat Banksy used his street art to make political and social statements, and to communicate to people beyond who he would otherwise be able to reach.