Pure Evil
Artist
Junior Member
Posts โข 1,338
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December 2006
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Is graffiti/street art still valid in a gallery ?, by Pure Evil on Sept 24, 2008 7:00:28 GMT 1, This is a question I was asked ....
[glow=red,2,300]
Is grafitti still valid when taken off the wall and inserted into a gallery or museum situation, do you think?[/glow]
I think when graffiti / sreet art is taken off the streets it just becomes art. The artists who have all been successful in galleries and auction houses are the ones who have been able to make the transition in their work to fit the new environment. Essentially the art they do in the gallery is a souvenir of their work on the street .They have to start thinking inside the box (the rectangle or square of the canvas / the white cube) and the work changes its impact because it has been isolated from the street and taken indoors, like a fragment of the moon that has been brought into the laboratory.
DISCUSS
This is a question I was asked ....
[glow=red,2,300]
Is grafitti still valid when taken off the wall and inserted into a gallery or museum situation, do you think?[/glow]
I think when graffiti / sreet art is taken off the streets it just becomes art. The artists who have all been successful in galleries and auction houses are the ones who have been able to make the transition in their work to fit the new environment. Essentially the art they do in the gallery is a souvenir of their work on the street .They have to start thinking inside the box (the rectangle or square of the canvas / the white cube) and the work changes its impact because it has been isolated from the street and taken indoors, like a fragment of the moon that has been brought into the laboratory.
DISCUSS
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Grafter
Artist
New Member
Posts โข 717
Likes โข 231
February 2007
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Is graffiti/street art still valid in a gallery ?, by Grafter on Sept 24, 2008 8:25:27 GMT 1, Morining Charlie....You're up nice and early.
It's a bit early for essays, but here goes.... 
I believe that most artists usually acknowledge a difference between their street work and their studio work. By it's very nature street work has to be done within a certain time constraint and therefore tends to have a more exciting rawness to the execution. Work that is intended to be sold can be prepared and executed in a much more clean and defined way, and the artist can of course take as much time to complete it as they wish. I always see the canvas/print version of a piece as a sanitised, clean version of the original street piece.
For sheer excitment and value form a piece you can't beat the street version, and the wall/street furniture that it's done on also adds to the overall appearance and make it much more of an event. For an example of the artists technique, skill, and vision then the studio version is often technically better.
Morining Charlie....You're up nice and early. It's a bit early for essays, but here goes.... I believe that most artists usually acknowledge a difference between their street work and their studio work. By it's very nature street work has to be done within a certain time constraint and therefore tends to have a more exciting rawness to the execution. Work that is intended to be sold can be prepared and executed in a much more clean and defined way, and the artist can of course take as much time to complete it as they wish. I always see the canvas/print version of a piece as a sanitised, clean version of the original street piece. For sheer excitment and value form a piece you can't beat the street version, and the wall/street furniture that it's done on also adds to the overall appearance and make it much more of an event. For an example of the artists technique, skill, and vision then the studio version is often technically better. |
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mcster
New Member
Posts โข 367
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October 2007
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Is graffiti/street art still valid in a gallery ?, by mcster on Sept 24, 2008 8:31:01 GMT 1, Personally I don't think street work has any place in galleries or homes unless it has a Vermin COA......back to reality though, street work should be left in the street and should not be removed for anyone. The only possible way I'd like to see it in galleries or museums is if the building is being destroyed, as there's no point in intentionally smashing a great street piece to smithereens for nothing. If it lives out it's natural life on a wall, then all well and good.
Pieces done on canvas or screenprint should nod towards the street pieces, but they will never be the same. For me it's often the location of the street piece and the fact it's not something that has gone through a quailty control that makes it so alive for me. Your analogy is a good one, I buy souvenirs of the artists I see on the street....
Personally I don't think street work has any place in galleries or homes unless it has a Vermin COA......back to reality though, street work should be left in the street and should not be removed for anyone. The only possible way I'd like to see it in galleries or museums is if the building is being destroyed, as there's no point in intentionally smashing a great street piece to smithereens for nothing. If it lives out it's natural life on a wall, then all well and good.
Pieces done on canvas or screenprint should nod towards the street pieces, but they will never be the same. For me it's often the location of the street piece and the fact it's not something that has gone through a quailty control that makes it so alive for me. Your analogy is a good one, I buy souvenirs of the artists I see on the street....
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steve
New Member
Posts โข 864
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April 2007
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Is graffiti/street art still valid in a gallery ?, by steve on Sept 24, 2008 9:18:26 GMT 1, location location location can add soo much to the overall impact of a street piece that taking the piece indoors can in many cases lose much of its power and purpose. the question of validity is a tough one. some images certainly stand up to any context, as good art will always be good art. I guess the danger is it becomes "art out of context" though, thus validity can certainly be questioned.
Trying to replicate street work for a gallery environment also doesn't work in many cases. The gallery is a situation/location/environment just like the street corner so the artist mindset is likely to be different when producing canvas work to reflect this.
location location location can add soo much to the overall impact of a street piece that taking the piece indoors can in many cases lose much of its power and purpose. the question of validity is a tough one. some images certainly stand up to any context, as good art will always be good art. I guess the danger is it becomes "art out of context" though, thus validity can certainly be questioned.
Trying to replicate street work for a gallery environment also doesn't work in many cases. The gallery is a situation/location/environment just like the street corner so the artist mindset is likely to be different when producing canvas work to reflect this.
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Is graffiti/street art still valid in a gallery ?, by onemandown72 on Sept 24, 2008 9:59:30 GMT 1, location location location can add soo much to the overall impact of a street piece that taking the piece indoors can in many cases lose much of its power and purpose. the question of validity is a tough one. some images certainly stand up to any context, as good art will always be good art. I guess the danger is it becomes "art out of context" though, thus validity can certainly be questioned. Trying to replicate street work for a gallery environment also doesn't work in many cases. The gallery is a situation/location/environment just like the street corner so the artist mindset is likely to be different when producing canvas work to reflect this.
I absoutely agree with this and feel that Banksy is a great case in point.
Most great street art is great art due to it's context and location, and in Banksy's case once you isolate his images from their location they lose so much in terms of effect and resonance.
I was writing on a recent thread about the use of street artist work in galleries, and feel that the way forwards with a lot of these artists is to do site specific exhibitions where the artist is involved in the choice of venue, and it's overall appearance (a la hope in life ay Balck Rat, Swoon's recent show in New York). The gallery needn't be a white box in the traditional sense, the artist should use the space to add to the work. Look at Can's, Santa's Ghetto (infact all of Banksy show's where the space enlivens the work) and the recent Paul Insect show. The venue gives the work that added context. Surely this is the road that street artists should look at investigating, ultimately location is consdiered critical when a street piece is being considered. Why should this be any different when an exhibition is being planned? I don't think that there is a need to try and think Street art is either on the street or in a traditional gallery, it should work outside of these dull and strict rules.
location location location can add soo much to the overall impact of a street piece that taking the piece indoors can in many cases lose much of its power and purpose. the question of validity is a tough one. some images certainly stand up to any context, as good art will always be good art. I guess the danger is it becomes "art out of context" though, thus validity can certainly be questioned. Trying to replicate street work for a gallery environment also doesn't work in many cases. The gallery is a situation/location/environment just like the street corner so the artist mindset is likely to be different when producing canvas work to reflect this. I absoutely agree with this and feel that Banksy is a great case in point. Most great street art is great art due to it's context and location, and in Banksy's case once you isolate his images from their location they lose so much in terms of effect and resonance. I was writing on a recent thread about the use of street artist work in galleries, and feel that the way forwards with a lot of these artists is to do site specific exhibitions where the artist is involved in the choice of venue, and it's overall appearance (a la hope in life ay Balck Rat, Swoon's recent show in New York). The gallery needn't be a white box in the traditional sense, the artist should use the space to add to the work. Look at Can's, Santa's Ghetto (infact all of Banksy show's where the space enlivens the work) and the recent Paul Insect show. The venue gives the work that added context. Surely this is the road that street artists should look at investigating, ultimately location is consdiered critical when a street piece is being considered. Why should this be any different when an exhibition is being planned? I don't think that there is a need to try and think Street art is either on the street or in a traditional gallery, it should work outside of these dull and strict rules. |
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s-editions
Art Gallery
New Member
Posts โข 632
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March 2008
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Is graffiti/street art still valid in a gallery ?, by s-editions on Sept 24, 2008 10:15:52 GMT 1, Location is incredibly important. That is why for Pez's show of paintings based on his rave flyers we chose Raindance (lights, music, video and 4000 mashed up ravers), and for The Babylon Academy we chose a completely fucked up shithole in Berlin. If the context is lost a lot of the impact of a body of work can be lost too. Individual pieces can look great anywhere, but a show needs a complementary venue.
Just wait until you see the venue for our Christmas show in London!
Location is incredibly important. That is why for Pez's show of paintings based on his rave flyers we chose Raindance (lights, music, video and 4000 mashed up ravers), and for The Babylon Academy we chose a completely fucked up shithole in Berlin. If the context is lost a lot of the impact of a body of work can be lost too. Individual pieces can look great anywhere, but a show needs a complementary venue. Just wait until you see the venue for our Christmas show in London! |
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Is graffiti/street art still valid in a gallery ?, by Urban Painting on Sept 24, 2008 10:47:11 GMT 1, one nice way is to recreate the street feeling.
Very hard (almost impossible). One nice example is m-city and orticanoodles show in bergamo ( this is the link for some pics of the show
www.urbanpainting.info/2008/09/m-city-and-orticanoodles-show.html
i think this is a good way to keep the street feeling alive. what you think Mr pure evil?
ciao
one nice way is to recreate the street feeling. Very hard (almost impossible). One nice example is m-city and orticanoodles show in bergamo ( this is the link for some pics of the show www.urbanpainting.info/2008/09/m-city-and-orticanoodles-show.htmli think this is a good way to keep the street feeling alive. what you think Mr pure evil? ciao |
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sfdoddsy
New Member
Posts โข 267
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August 2008
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Is graffiti/street art still valid in a gallery ?, by sfdoddsy on Sept 24, 2008 13:39:52 GMT 1, This is a question I was asked .... [glow=red,2,300] Is grafitti still valid when taken off the wall and inserted into a gallery or museum situation, do you think?[/glow] I think when graffiti / sreet art is taken off the streets it just becomes art. The artists who have all been successful in galleries and auction houses are the ones who have been able to make the transition in their work to fit the new environment. Essentially the art they do in the gallery is a souvenir of their work on the street .They have to start thinking inside the box (the rectangle or square of the canvas / the white cube) and the work changes its impact because it has been isolated from the street and taken indoors, like a fragment of the moon that has been brought into the laboratory. DISCUSS
IMHO, most street art/grafitti doesn't translate to a gallery setting because it loses all its energy when shrunk and framed. The artists who have done well are those who realise that the medium is different.
Street pieces are usually looked at from a distance. They are like advertising posters. You have seconds to get the idea. So simple is good.
Gallery work is examined up close. You hang it on a wall five feet away and have hours/days/years to look at it. This is why artists like Faile do so well in a gallery environment. Their best work has many layers (literally and figuratively) and is busy. Ditto Bast.
On the other hand, once you have scoped the overall idea of most street/stencil pieces, there is no longer any reason to keep looking. You won't discover anything new. The image is what it is.
Contrast this to a Picasso, or a Dubuffet, or a Hockney, or a Whatever. Gallery work needs to be able to stand up to constant examination, whereas street is fleeting.
This doesn't mean it has to be complex. Donald Judd's work is minimalism incarnate, but rewards examination. Too much street art is a boom-tish gag and once you've got the joke there is no reason to go any further.
This is a question I was asked .... [glow=red,2,300] Is grafitti still valid when taken off the wall and inserted into a gallery or museum situation, do you think?[/glow] I think when graffiti / sreet art is taken off the streets it just becomes art. The artists who have all been successful in galleries and auction houses are the ones who have been able to make the transition in their work to fit the new environment. Essentially the art they do in the gallery is a souvenir of their work on the street .They have to start thinking inside the box (the rectangle or square of the canvas / the white cube) and the work changes its impact because it has been isolated from the street and taken indoors, like a fragment of the moon that has been brought into the laboratory. DISCUSS IMHO, most street art/grafitti doesn't translate to a gallery setting because it loses all its energy when shrunk and framed. The artists who have done well are those who realise that the medium is different. Street pieces are usually looked at from a distance. They are like advertising posters. You have seconds to get the idea. So simple is good. Gallery work is examined up close. You hang it on a wall five feet away and have hours/days/years to look at it. This is why artists like Faile do so well in a gallery environment. Their best work has many layers (literally and figuratively) and is busy. Ditto Bast. On the other hand, once you have scoped the overall idea of most street/stencil pieces, there is no longer any reason to keep looking. You won't discover anything new. The image is what it is. Contrast this to a Picasso, or a Dubuffet, or a Hockney, or a Whatever. Gallery work needs to be able to stand up to constant examination, whereas street is fleeting. This doesn't mean it has to be complex. Donald Judd's work is minimalism incarnate, but rewards examination. Too much street art is a boom-tish gag and once you've got the joke there is no reason to go any further. |
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leumasdarnley
Junior Member
Posts โข 2,650
Likes โข 49
May 2007
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Is graffiti/street art still valid in a gallery ?, by leumasdarnley on Sept 24, 2008 16:16:40 GMT 1, Graffiti (singular: graffito; the plural is used as a mass noun) is the name for images or lettering scratched, scrawled, painted or marked in any manner on property.
So technically speaking to be a graffiti art it would have to be done on property that is a gray area but a canvas is certainly not what I had in mind. I think that if you do canvas style work for a gallery you can be a graffiti artist but working on a different medium IMO. I cannot see how it could not be considered valid in the sense of art but I can see how it could not be considered graffiti art. Now do the same image on a found door and maybe it changes the situation. Interesting thread but the truth is it all comes down to how the piece is done some artists can bridge the gap ex.) Nick Walker, Banksy, BLR but I find that stencil work translates best because of its simple visual nature. It can be done on a smaller scale and not look too busy.
Graffiti (singular: graffito; the plural is used as a mass noun) is the name for images or lettering scratched, scrawled, painted or marked in any manner on property.
So technically speaking to be a graffiti art it would have to be done on property that is a gray area but a canvas is certainly not what I had in mind. I think that if you do canvas style work for a gallery you can be a graffiti artist but working on a different medium IMO. I cannot see how it could not be considered valid in the sense of art but I can see how it could not be considered graffiti art. Now do the same image on a found door and maybe it changes the situation. Interesting thread but the truth is it all comes down to how the piece is done some artists can bridge the gap ex.) Nick Walker, Banksy, BLR but I find that stencil work translates best because of its simple visual nature. It can be done on a smaller scale and not look too busy.
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K-Guy
Artist
New Member
Posts โข 112
Likes โข 18
September 2008
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Is graffiti/street art still valid in a gallery ?, by K-Guy on Sept 24, 2008 16:24:24 GMT 1, What I generally try to do and continue to experiment with is to produce pieces for sale (for want of a better word) that somehow retain a certain street feel. I have always thought that stencils onto flat canvas and screen prints produced onto 300gsm white Somerset Satin, loose a hell of lot of energy. Work produced on found items such as cardboard, metal and wood panels for me retain a street texture and attitude that can't be replicated onto a flat white surface. Also, this gives work a 'one off' feel that again echoes the original pieces produced on the streets and not a toned down version that could just as easily be printed.
So the answer to your question and in my opinion, street art displayed in galleries can be valid as long as the artist wants it to be. For me, I like to dirty stuff up, distress it and make it less clinical but everyone to their own I say.
What I generally try to do and continue to experiment with is to produce pieces for sale (for want of a better word) that somehow retain a certain street feel. I have always thought that stencils onto flat canvas and screen prints produced onto 300gsm white Somerset Satin, loose a hell of lot of energy. Work produced on found items such as cardboard, metal and wood panels for me retain a street texture and attitude that can't be replicated onto a flat white surface. Also, this gives work a 'one off' feel that again echoes the original pieces produced on the streets and not a toned down version that could just as easily be printed.
So the answer to your question and in my opinion, street art displayed in galleries can be valid as long as the artist wants it to be. For me, I like to dirty stuff up, distress it and make it less clinical but everyone to their own I say.
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VisualImprints
Art Gallery
New Member
Posts โข 39
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August 2008
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Is graffiti/street art still valid in a gallery ?, by VisualImprints on Sept 25, 2008 16:51:51 GMT 1, Definitely with KGuy on this... a lot of prints and art in general is far too clinical and clean looking (not just within street art prints).
There are so many great artists with originals out there for under ยฃ100 (even in galleries) that seem a better bet than prints in the UK.
Most of the street stuff I collect personally are originals on found object (wood, cardboard etc.)
The surprise element of street works is gone in a gallery so any work has stand up to more intense scrutiny. I think galleries could go some way to helping this by pushing the boundaries of presentation. They are often too tame (partly because of boring old economics) and lack innovation.
Although the scene is vibrant we can do so much better...
Definitely with KGuy on this... a lot of prints and art in general is far too clinical and clean looking (not just within street art prints).
There are so many great artists with originals out there for under ยฃ100 (even in galleries) that seem a better bet than prints in the UK.
Most of the street stuff I collect personally are originals on found object (wood, cardboard etc.)
The surprise element of street works is gone in a gallery so any work has stand up to more intense scrutiny. I think galleries could go some way to helping this by pushing the boundaries of presentation. They are often too tame (partly because of boring old economics) and lack innovation.
Although the scene is vibrant we can do so much better...
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Ad Hoc Art
Art Gallery
New Member
Posts โข 231
Likes โข 0
March 2008
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Is graffiti/street art still valid in a gallery ?, by Ad Hoc Art on Sept 25, 2008 18:18:07 GMT 1, There is no street art in art galleries. The only street art you will ever find is in the streets. The work you see in an art gallery is work made for the gallery.
If you were to try and take something which was placed in the street and drag it into a gallery...it would lose all it's power.
Andrew
There is no street art in art galleries. The only street art you will ever find is in the streets. The work you see in an art gallery is work made for the gallery.
If you were to try and take something which was placed in the street and drag it into a gallery...it would lose all it's power.
Andrew
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