I know all about the arguments that graffiti is the only real discipline and street artists are posers and so the story goes.  I got into street art because of the anti establishment meaning of it.  I am a firm believer that gallery’s are very parasitic and control and use artists when it should be the other way around.  Artists created art before the existence of gallery’s but gallery’s do nothing without artists.  Now I have been in shows, and that has given me the understanding that only independent shows seem to have a pulse on what street art and graffiti are.  In my opinion the concept of the white box is a bit too antiquated and museum like to represent the feel of the street.  Street art/Graffiti do not belong in these spaces.  The attempt to use pieces of the street as part of the art often just looks like someone hanging garbage on a wall.  Sometimes it works, mostly no.

It seems that the streets have taken a turn.  Perhaps the popularity of that Gift Shop movie has flooded the scene with individuals who think, it’s just that easy to be somebody.  I have seen a real change happen over the past few years.  People calling themselves artists who only take other peoples photos paste them on walls and get accolades for doing this.  1: what makes this person an artist? 2: When did an anti establishment concept become so establishment?  

Using the streets as a stepping stone to get into a gallery many have gained a sort of respect for using someone else’s image ad nauseum and it seems that this respect is granted only by the amount displayed.  Using a dead photographers popular photo as your own, writing street addition, or leaving a contact are only a few examples of the ills of the scene.  These people are not artists, they are self promoters…  advertisers.  I understand the point and merit of using the same image and wanted to get the image up as much as possible, but where does it leave the scene when it becomes so watered down?

There are a few artists I am no fan of, but I would still give them respect for putting a little bit of thought into their work.  We are all shameless self promoters, but some of us at least have a little talent.