‘From the Street to the Gallery: A Critical Analysis of the Inseparable Nature of Graffiti and Context’ discusses the rise of graffiti in the art world. Graffiti in urban settings has a different meaning than graffiti in a gallery. Is showing graffiti in a gallery okay? The elimination of the wall and the public spaces gets rid of a crucial part of the definition of graffiti. Illustrations within a city create a story and also a community. Museums create a structured environment, which imposes a certain conversation. This structure highlights the privilege of artists. In the street, graffiti is by fellow citizens and in galleried, we must follow the rules of the gallery and maintain a distance from the graffiti. Streets have no rules. We can touch, interact with, and interpret the graffiti freely. Geographical location is a crucial part of the meaning of graffiti. This article also brings up the idea of a fine artist. Graffiti artists who are shown in a gallery are considered fine artists, yet graffiti artists in the street are not. This highlights the inconsistency in privilege of graffiti artists. When a dealer becomes involved in the showing of graffiti, it loses its meaning. Graffiti can be exhibited, but it must be shown in its original context in order to maintain authenticity.
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