Something I would like to focus on in the post lecture discussion is the concept of gender in graffiti. In “The Graffiti Subculture” Nancy MacDonald discusses the role of gender in graffiti. She opens the article by talking about the division between graffiti life and private life. It is a boundary that is never crossed and because of this division there is space for an entire subculture to form. A person’s tag is their only crossing between the world of public life and the private sphere. This tag can be a facade people hide behind and something that can mask a person’s identity. But for some reason, gender has an ability to slip through. Graffiti by nature is masculine. It is a field that promotes loud and abrasive opinions and commentary. It facilitates a false sense of confidence.
When thinking about the role of the human figure in the context of political graffiti, I am going to have to address the concept of gender. How and when does it come in to play. Does it even matter? In politically charged areas, it absolutely matters. But in terms of authorship, does this distinction between who you are on the streets versus in real life allow any more leeway for women? When behind a mask can we reconsider how we analyze political graffiti? Is it a more authentic look into the the political climate of the time? I have no idea, but I really would like to think so.