THE G-WORD: Virtuosity and Violation, Negotiating and Transforming Graffiti

Abstract

Why does the CIA praise graffiti as a colourful symbol of the optimism and hope of the Western World while officials in many cities describe the same phenomenon as a criminal activity and a representation of unsafety and social problems? Graffiti is a word used to denote a complex system of actions and things, which is often described as a singular phenomenon. 'The G-Word' visualises how different institutions, public and commercial interests have acted to influence and affect the understanding of graffiti as both art, crime and a broad socio-cultural phenomenon. Graffiti is a word used to denote a complex system of actions and things, which is often described as a singular phenomenon. Graffiti has been understood and evaluated in many ways, often opposing each other. Graffiti may therefor both be evoked as one of the most influential art movements on the planet and dismissed as something that destroys private property and turns a neighbourhood into slum. It is hailed as a modern day childhood adventure and denounced as gang related criminality

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