“People say graffiti is ugly, irresponsible and childish. But that’s only if it’s done properly.”(Banksy*)
The Contemporary Graffiti Gallery in the 33 E. Congress building of Columbia College Chicago’s campus is a temporary exhibit designed to showcase urban art in a safe environment. Graffiti has been a significant interest of mine over the past few years, and this gallery is the one I was most interested in visiting.
At its core, graffiti is an art that communicates a message. Whether that message is a gang’s territory – something people most frequently relate graffiti to – or a message of political rebellion and civil unrest, graffiti aims to invoke an emotional response from people. Similar to a well-composed photograph, a political cartoon, or a documentary, graffiti attempts to convince others to take action. At the height of the underground graffiti world stands Banksy, a stencil artist famous for his political vandalism. He (or she, or them) is also one of the most elusive figures to have ever lived. After hundreds of stencils appearing all over the world, a gallery supposedly ran by the man himself, films, books, and magazine articles; his identity has never been revealed. Banksy’s workbecomes instantly recognizable to those who know what to look for. Banksy is just one example of an artist with a message to spread: things are not okay, and we need to stop turning a blind eye to the flaws in government and society. Whether people agree with this message or not is not the point; the goal is to create discussion on the topic—positive or negative, it’s all a success.
The Contemporary Graffiti Gallery at Columbia features a small collection of large physical displays. These displays contain a variety of materials. I find the collaboration of multiple media to create a single piece to be beautiful and thought provoking. Art in this exhibit is not created by delicate paintbrushes or fine tuned lenses, but by scraps of discarded and weathered wood, stenciled patterns, and sharp sprays of paint that seem entirely random yet purposeful and important. Being able to physically touch and feel the pieces provides an experience generally unmatched in art exhibits of photographs and paintings, and I think this is something people will respond to in a number of ways. Many artists will have a similar opinion to mine, that the art here is valuable and eclectic. On the other hand, more normal-minded people may see the pieces here as being amateur, or lacking a certain level of professionalism that is related to “art” in a general sense. I think abstract artists find a certain comfort in the idea that the art will not be accepted by everyone. It is hard to criticize something that can have a different meaning from one person to the next.
Although the exhibit on Contemporary Graffiti contains only eight artists’ work and has been entirely empty the four times I have visited it while waiting for class, I find it to be a beautiful and honest collection of physical works. The medium is one that I have great interest in, and to see its presence among other more traditional galleries is fantastic.
*This quote is said to be from the artist Banksy, however the interviewer could not be entirely sure he was talking to the man himself.
