Speaking of graffiti… Did you hear about Shepard Fairey’s latest arrest? Shepard Fairey, (graffiti) artist now world famous for his red and blue Obama portrait, was arrested en route to the opening reception of his show at Boston’s Institute of Contemporary Art on an outstanding warrant from 2000.
Basically, the old white rich people of Boston find the public praise and attention Fairey is receiving as abominable. His art defies their notion of what “fine art” is. This article makes a good point in saying that Fairey’s arrest brings up two age old questions: What is art? and, what is crime?
The early impressionists were snubbed by the Paris salons, and look at them now – I’m sure old school Bostonians would cream their pants if Manet stopped by for a photo op with their mayor.
Without art, and new generations of artists, I believe that a certain understanding of contemporary culture is lost. Art is the greatest clue we have to the workings of past civilizations, and I believe is acts as a message in a bottle to future generations. Not only does art in itself speak about contemporary culture, color trends, politics, but the documentation that galleries and museums write about art are later examined as historical text.
Am I saying that anyone and everyone should be allowed to paint and wallpaper public walls in the name of freedom of expression? No, of course not. And it is here – as I try to break down where exactly the line should be drawn – that I run into my own bias.
I am a young artist, and I sympathise with the frustration of youth who aren’t recognized beyond the streets. But they other day I noticed an orange paint pen tag on the outside of our freshly painted apartment building, and I winced in disgust.
What is art? What is crime?
