Lecture notes 3 - Graffiti and Street Art

• The word Graffiti derives from the Italian word, 'Graffiato', translation as 'Scratched'
• People argue the earliest forms of graffiti comes from story telling by image, cave drawings found in Lasaux in France
• Also similar styles were found in the ruins of Pompei from Roman times ('Name was here')

1970's NewYork

• Hip Hop culture
• Found on Railroad carriages (travels around cities and states)
• Represents Unrepresented groups

• Jean Basquait creates the street art persona 'Samo' deriving from the phrase 'Same Ol' Shit' famous for character based graffiti, 
• Until 1978 when came 'The death of Samo'
• Jean Basquait was then known as a Neo Expressionist and worked with Andy Warhol in he early 1980's
• 6 Months after the death of Warhol, Basquait died of a heroin overdose.

Keith Haring

• Keith Haring has been a big influence on street art, being the creator of 'Radiant Baby' (seen above)
• He drew on anything and everything
• Him and his designs traveled the world
• He used Subway advertisements as starting point
• He Created 'Pop-Shop' selling his designs on t-shirts, toys and posters, it was known as a celebraty hang out.

• Also around this time in the early 80's 
• John Fekner 'Broke Promises'

• Jenny Holzer 'Times Square Show', She used Lights and text to put her messages and statements across.

Berlin Wall

• Stencil Graffiti
• Comment on lack of Available brands

Influencial Street Artists

• Tats Cru designs in 1997 were used for a coca cola commercial

• Street artist called Invader who's art consists of mosaics of 'Space Invader' characters and situates them around cities, often focusing on the location rather than message, Many of the locations work so if a map was designed with all the locations highlighted it would form a giant space invader on the map.

• Obviously 2 of the most famous street artists Banksy and Shepherd Fairy

• Parisian Photographer Jr Fauela Morro Da Provienda, Rio
• Uses Photos and enlarges them to a huge scale and puts them on house fronts.

• Blu (Italian) and Os Gemeos (Brazil) Collaborate and use disused bruildings to convey political messages

• Corsa adverts using graffiti as a basis for selling products

• 123 Klan (France) Turned graphic designers but still keeping original style.

• Moose- Paul Curtis (Leeds) uses Reverse graffiti where he takes an outdoor surface and cleans it using pressure washers to create art by cleaning areas and contrasting them with dirty areas.

• Sam3, Only uses Black paint creating silhouette type art, turning the city into a stage. 

• Uhils (Alexandre Farto (Portugal)) Chips away at plaster on walls to create art pieces

Female Graffiti artists

• Diva (Brooklyn)
• Fafi (France) using Characters she calls 'Fafinetes'
• Missvan
• Herakut - Collaboration between Hera and Akut
• Swoon

Wall in Palestine 

• Recorded in book 'Art of Resitance'
• Making the daunting wall more light hearted
• Graffiti is there for freedom and conversation between artists
• it is found that the graffiti in Palestine focuses on the obvious serious matters.