The perception of graffiti has changed dramatically over the last decade. It is a subject that was often associated with social problems and urban degeneration, which requires substantial public resources in policing, cleaning and diversionary programs. As various documentation and study of graffiti started to surface at the turn of last decade, it s no longer understood as a soulless anarchic prank but a celebration of individual creativity and imagination. It is an instant social and political reflection within a specific context which draws our attention the most mundane elements of our built environment. Street artists actualise objective force in the material realm, as examplified in Melbourne exciting street art scene. Their diversity and individualism distinguishes them from those that perpetuate the singular worldview of a ruling class. It is an organic evolution of the street, where the ephemeral nature of graffiti allows them to become “legitimate” medium used to express one’s opinion and receive public response in the fastest possible way due to its instant accessibility.
If it is to say graffiti and street art is an act of detournement, then it is doubtless that it will be recuperated into mainstream culture; meanwhile a new form of “graffiti” will be generated to revolt and criticise the incorporated mainstream graffiti culture. These fluctuating acting and reacting forces is a constant struggle between the infringed and the authorised, which will continue to adjust, adopt and absorb. “Graffiti” will continue to be an art that speaks of a moment and captures a community’s imagination and this imagination, is the most fundamental, efficient and organic generative force to shape the exponential growth of today’s “hypertextual” urban landscape.
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