How a person walks through a city and what details grab their attention depends much on an individual’s past experiences. I look for captivating street art because I think it immerses me in a new place and helps me find beauty around every corner. Street art is an evolution of graffiti that embraces the line between art and rebellion by bringing spontaneity, creativity, and color to spaces that would normally hold earth toned paint.
Graffiti has long been rejected by mainstream culture as a destruction of property. Governments and property owners spend millions removing unwanted spray paint and installing security cameras to monitor these taggers. As street art has emerged, street artists have successfully struggled to legitimize their artform. Businesses and governments commission vast artworks for walls, vehicles, and other installations that become immediate identifiers of the business, artist, and location within a city.
Cultures around the world have embraced the tidal wave of spray paint. The street art movement is covering famous cities like Melbourne, São Paulo, New York City, London, and more in ever-changing and evolving feats of beauty displayed to lighten the drudgery of city life. Most major cities have excellent street art tours, giving a perfect bisection of a city’s art and history.
Modern cities across the world have rethought the distinction between art and vandalism as the simple tags have grown to immense, intricate murals. Street art and graffiti are now increasingly accepted as art and the ensuing culture of creativity, entrepreneurship, and artistry boosts development and generates significant revenue. Artists once reserved to painting in the middle of the night on a step stool are now commissioned for 5-story-tall walls, showing how greatly trends can shift in half a century.
