Monday, October 3, 2011

Reporting on Graffiti



Kidult has been blowing up all summer long in France, but he’s only crossed my radar now. And I am thoroughly OBSESSED.

The simple idea behind Kidult (the terrible kid), is that he wants to reclaim graffiti for it’s culture. In his opinion it has become too commercialized. Kidult has began to spray paint the store fronts of high end luxury stores with his tag, giving them what they want...
LouisVuitton -Paris
Hermes- Paris


To take it further, could you say that you’ve had a “plan” in mind since the beginning of all this ?

“I’ve never had any plans. I act in the moment, and it’s about a truth that’s not necessarily spoken, so I shout it and write it on stores. At some point, all these shops have used graffiti culture as a commercial image, riding the trend without being a part in the least and for which the only point is to make some cash. All I say to them is “hello”; if these brands really like graffiti, I only give them what they like, so what if it’s beautiful or ugly. We gotta stop these brands from dictating a culture that belongs to us.” (taken from highsnobiety.com)

There is always going to be the discussion of whether graffiti is art or not. And at this moment in time the discussion becomes even more interesting because some artists are becoming idolized and praised (Banksy), where some remain vandals.

As of late I’ve become really interested in graffiti culture. I've starting watching a handful of documentaries on netflix and opening my eyes to the graffiti in our city. In my opinion, graffiti is art, graffiti is a culture, graffiti is a club, graffiti is a voice. What I’ve gathered is that graffiti artist are not trying to ruin, destroy, deface and kill cities. This is an art form and a way to express themselves or deliver a message.

I met a very successful graffiti artist this summer who described his work as, “social work through art.”

It can be thought provoking, it can ad a new dimension to a city or it can just be art for arts sake.

And artists like Kidult who are spreading a message inspire me. I wish I had the courage to declare my opinions to the world in vibrant paint.

Besides what’s the difference between this..




And this..




And this..