This chapter in Understanding Graffiti forces us to examine the ever evolving placement and market of graffiti. In almost every paper we have read in this course, each one starts with a definition of what graffiti is. And while definitions vary in specificity, the most common theme is that they are on surfaces which were not originally intended to receive it. Meaning, that graffiti is supposed to be site specific, as there is an “important sociopolitical aspect linked to a work’s geographical location, and as such, the work’s placement within a community, and within a system of relations is much more crucial to its meaning than aesthetic form alone” (135).
Graffiti is praised for giving voice to marginalized groups and for helping to bring together communities. Which is why I think it is so interesting that the French street artist “Zevs” is so comfortable with his work being displayed in art galleries. His work is all about speaking out against big corporations, especially his work with liquidating logos. He does not believe that taking his art out of their original contexts changes anything, when in reality, it is changing everything. “The only prerequisite for creating street graffiti is the desire to be heard” (135). But, by taking his art out of the street, the audience and art is being restricted to the inside of a gallery. Institutions are deciding what kinds of art should be “heard”, and that is not what graffiti is about at all.