Graffit City

Walking down the streets of Newark, New Jersey, all I could see were images. The more I walk, the more I see, and the more I feel a sense of community. My sightlines were taken up by the colors, lines, and shapes that somehow deliver such beautiful messages. I couldn’t help but notice the children admiring the art from afar almost as if they are thinking, “That’s me up there.” Some buildings were covered in words like “desired” and “strength.” Other buildings had various forms of representation with silhouettes of women of color on the sides or education driven individuals. Some may argue that graffiti may be gang-related, vandalism, and explicit to some viewers. Even if it may be in some instances, I firmly believe that graffiti can be a measurement for a more conducive human study further proving that cities are the best places for study. Graffiti can represent a city’s urge to have a sense of belonging and it can show a community’s want to have change.

With the negative connotation that graffiti has gained, I understand why some people have issues with them on their walls and with that, conclude that it would hinder human interaction. However, this connotation comes from the false media and inaccurate representation in movies and in fact, does the exact opposite. Such movies relate gang activity to graffiti where gangs would spray on their logo, or emblem, on their proclaimed territory. But gang-related graffiti are very hidden and are not very common. In regards to explicitness, such as graphic depiction or curse words, they can be some of the ways people in cities express their frustration and utilize this negative spotlight, to actually create change.

Some of the more noticeable qualities of graffiti are the different types of expression that can be observed in cities. One of the most underrated forms is protesting. Many people relate protesting to marches, rallies, or stand-ups and don’t really consider graffiti as a form of protesting. People won’t be able to see such things in sparse regions. Contrary to belief, the city walls can be utilized as a political playground. Not only does it’s colors resemble that of a playground, but they hold the most “wild” of thoughts, expressing radical opinions to force it to the forefront of conversation. This form of protesting utilizes the negative connotation of graffiti and force the government and officials to see the problem at hand. I concede that city walls can also be areas for very negative and oppressive ideologies. But there are ways to counter this form of negativity. Graffiti can be used as political activism where artists can possibly cover up racists, fascist, and other symbols and have them resemble other objects. This type of cover-up forces our eyes to focus on the more positive aspects of life. For instance, in Berlin, Germany, many oppressive symbols, such as the Nazi swastika, are transformed by creative young teenagers into images of a house or a flamingo. With these small acts of change, cities show more inclusivity and show that they are aware of such offense.

When people think of graffiti, they don’t think about the rare. posh, well funded neighborhoods. Instead, they think about the old, compacted, run down apartments who hold the image of crime and poverty. Because of the lack of attention and assistance from the government, many people look to graffiti because it is, simply, all that they have. Graffiti is an alteration, a change that people enact willingly. With the ability to express one’s views and personality, civilians can alter the city into something that is “livable.” They change their surroundings into something that represents them. This can then allow others, specifically children, to look up to an icon and find someone that can relate to them, someone who experienced something that they’ve gone through and feel confident in where they are from. For instance, there is a microaggression that Black-Americans face on a day to day basis one being the lack of representation which can further affect the way people perceive themselves and their self-confidence. In Oakland, girls are learning how to do graffiti art to find confidence and counter the hyper male-dominated society by representing themselves.

In conclusion, cities are the best way to conduct human study and observe the way the residents interact with their community. We are able to see how, through art, residents socially interact with their community and continue their everyday lives. Though graffiti can also hinder interactions in the city, it can also be the method of seeing social processes in cities.