I’m writing to address the deplorable state of graffiti in my neighbourhood – namely that there is simply not enough of it and what we have is terrible.
Everywhere I look are untouched, monotone walls and garish advertisements. Worse yet, when I do see some nominal effort to deface an advertisement or decorate a wall, the enterprise is often anemic and self-indulgent.
Many examples are dull, uninspired tags that lie flat and communicate nothing. These demure scribbling exercises are purely for the sake of gaining some anonymous notoriety under the guise of phenomenology.
These works lack any kind of meaningful ambition or direction. Whether with a Sharpie, stencil or free hand spray paint, these examples are poorly executed, generic and completely fail to command attention. What we need to do is send these would-be street artists to receive professional training not only in execution but in conceptual development.
Perhaps then we will have something worth looking at on our daily commutes whether the work is meant to convey social commentary or is simply a decorative exercise.
Justin Barski
Saanich