interesting

Back when I was still doing time as a high school teacher one of my students did a project on graffiti as an art form. In his argument graffiti had its own set of standards and tenets. Through his passion about his chosen medium I began to understand the difference between tagging and expression. One, simply marking ones territory and often no more evolved than a dog pissing on a bush, the other something intelligent, edgy, and beautiful. 

Then last year a friend introduced me to Banksy, a semi-anonymous guerrilla graffiti artist from the UK. His (or her - I have no idea) often biting political commentary made me laugh, nod my head in sad agreement, and get angry. His quirky aesthetic combined with a sharp sense of irony make his works well worth checking out. Of course, the establishment has now embraced Banksey, so I'm not sure if his work will continue to be so raw and engaging. Celebrity so often leads to watering-down among artists. 

Today I discovered the American graffiti artist and director, BLU. A nice combination of my love for animation and my appreciation for good graffiti. Check out this (somewhat creepy but thought-provoking) animation called MUTO. It was created on public walls in Buenos Aires and Baden.