from today’s Indo
eiresol | June 25, 2007What is graffiti? Wi¦lie Dillon takes a closer look at vandalism… and what is valuable.
Some see it as one of the surest signs of urban blight and decay. To others, it’s a vibrant and democratic form of artistic expression. Graffiti divides people. Vandalism or art — or even both at the same time? The only certainty is that it’s now almost impossible to avoid graffiti on our streets. But for the first time, a graffiti artist has broken through into the mainstream — a young Englishman known only to the world as Banksy. In a British poll this week, young people placed him near the top of their list of artistic heroes — just ahead of Leonard da Vinci.
A book of his distinctive guerilla-style graffiti attacks has become a quiet bestseller. His work is now even selling for sizeable amounts in proper art galleries. Graffiti is a very wide term. At one end of the spectrum are those who like to create their own original art. Their dream is to have large areas of wall space on which to express themselves without breaking the law. But a lot of the graffiti we see everyday is the visual equivalent of littering. Much of it is a mindless scrawl. The worst offenders are those who daub racist or offensive words and slogans on walls — and leave somebody else with the bother and expense of removing it.
The gardai are trying to compile a database of graffiti styles. They believe this will make it easier to identify and prosecute those who deface buildings and other property.
Darren Finnegan has been graffiti painting for the last 20 years. He was on the street again this week with his spray cans doing what he enjoys best. In fact he was getting paid for it. Even better, he was being paid by a local authority. The Drogheda man is one of the leading figures of the Irish graffiti world. He is one of a handful of graffiti painters here who not only create their own original work, but who also regularly get professional commissions. Their clients sometimes include big corporate brands such as Nike and Red Bull. He and another graffiti painter spent part of their week decorating a large exterior hoarding at the Market House municipal arts centre in Monaghan. They decided to fill the space with “happy, positive” images which would appeal to children. “Graffiti is very much a valid art form, and has been for a long time,” he says.
In his full-time job, Darren is an account manager with a printing company. But he says graffiti provides him with a valuable second income. “And getting paid for something that you love is always a bonus.” He is also a tireless campaigner on behalf of graffiti painters in this country. In the early 1990s, he persuaded Drogheda Borough Council to allocate a large space beneath the town’s main bridge where graffiti lovers could paint to their hearts content without breaking any law. It’s one of the few such graffiti locations in the country. Every year, Drogheda hosts a big international graffiti event with top painters from around the world. Over the years, the event has received sponsorship from the local authority, the Arts Council and local industry. Darren has been trying to persuade Dublin City Council to make similar spaces available in the capital — but so far to no avail.
“There are a lot of kids out there who want to paint, but who don’t want to break the law. They just want to express themselves.”
He acknowledges that there are lots of graffiti vandals who just like scribbling their name everywhere and anywhere. He says it’s a bit like dogs marking their territory. “People make their choice. I view myself as an artist. I have a very clear vision of what I’m trying to do. I’m not responsible for what other people do.
“In the same way, there are plenty of people who enjoy a social drink. But there’s a certain handful who can’t do that without causing trouble and starting fights. It’s a very small minority, but unfortunately they give the whole art form a bad name.”
Nowadays, he travels the world as a recognised graffiti artist. So far this year, he has been to Australia, New Zealand, Thailand and California. This weekend, he’s off to Birmingham. But it wasn’t always such a glamorous existence.
“I started when I was 15. I didn’t know what I was doing. I had seen this on TV and wanted to go and paint. “The locations I chose were back lanes and derelict buildings. “I was breaking the law — there’s no disputing that — and I had a couple of brushes in my younger days because of that. “I have one conviction for criminal damage. But it was a long, long time ago. That in itself was enough to make you realise that you have to make a choice. My choice is that I want to do art; I don’t want to get into trouble. “I’m older and more mature now. I’m 35. I have two kids and a mortgage. I travel quite a lot throughout the States, so I don’t need to have a criminal record. Everything I do on my travels is purely legal. The last thing you want to do is get into trouble in a foreign country.”
Dublin City Council anti-graffiti officer Martin Daly says he understands the arguments put forward by the serious painters. But any decision to set aside a specific location would have to be made by the councillors. He says offensive sloganeering accounts for the vast bulk of the graffiti which the council has to remove.
“It’s not up to the local authority to provide facilities for people who break the law. It’s not up to the local authority to provide facilities for everything everybody wants to do.”
One of those who has spoken out most strongly against the graffiti vandals is the new Environment Minister John Gormley. Will he now try to convince local authorities to set aside designated locations? Graffiti artists hope he will. Darren Finnegan says he is reluctant to be seen as the spokesman for Irish graffiti painters. Like the anonymous Banksy, he doesn’t seek the limelight.
“I would prefer that the art speaks for itself.”