This past week I had
planned on going to Toronto to attend an art gallery opening (based on
graffiti) and I wanted to tell you guys all about it in this weeks blog post.
Instead, I decided to get sick and be stuck in bed. Luckily, I can still tell
you all about it, just not my own first-hand experience and without any
personal photos.
For those of you
who don’t know, Toronto Mayor (Rob Ford) has been trying to ‘clean up’ Toronto by
getting rid of all possible marks of graffiti. About a year ago, he declared a
war on graffiti. He decided that he would make business owners pay to remove
graffiti off their buildings, even if it was an amazing piece of art and the
owners liked the work. Many
comments on this issue are that he should be working with the artists, not
against them. I agree with this statement. Many artists are just going to
retaliate and fight for what they want, which many artists have done. Watch the news clip below.
And with that,
SPUD a Toronto graffiti writer, stood up for what he believed and has been
aiming his work at Rob Ford. He has been spray painting the streets of Toronto and creating canvases with images of the Mayor as a grotesque
worm, a smog cloud, and a human “gravy train,” as a reaction to the mayor’s
crackdown on graffiti.
On Thurs. March
8, 2012 “CENSORED” art gallery opened. The gallery takes Spud’s work inside,
both graffiti and fine art pieces, to express his thoughts on the Ford administration's censorship of Graffiti as an Art
form. SPUD’s show hopes to highlight the art in graffiti and settle the
argument once and for all – graffiti IS art. The gallery reached capacity and had people waiting in line to get in, meaning it is more than just street artists interested in Spud's work.
Watch promo video here.
Between The Lines Presents Censored: SPUD vs. Mayor Rob Ford) from betweenthelinesdoc on Vimeo.
Read National Post interview with Spud here.
Between The Lines Presents Censored: SPUD vs. Mayor Rob Ford) from betweenthelinesdoc on Vimeo.
Read National Post interview with Spud here.
The show is open to the general public
for the month of March. If you happen to be in Toronto this month, check it
out! Located at Don’t Tell Mama Gallery Space. 108 Ossington Ave. Toronto
Interesting debate there. I don't think there can be any doubt that graffiti is indeed art, but I think there has to be a hashing-out of when and where these artists can do their work.
ReplyDeleteExactly and I think that's the problem. If they are going to crack down so hard on graffiti, they need to offer more opportunities for street art and legal spaces.
ReplyDeleteI can appreciate graffiti as it is an art. It's annoying to see people ruining places with tags and other nonesense. However, if it is actually done correctly as an art, with time and effort, it really can be beautiful. I agree with your comment Rachel, there really should be more locations where people can visually express themselves.
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of "CENSORED", I think its important to give graffiti artists an outlet to not only showcase their work, but to give others the opportunity to admire the pieces they create.
ReplyDeleteIm definitely going to stop by at that art gallery in Toronto!
I agree that graffiti is another form of artwork but I don't believe in SPUD's methods. SPUD gives a bad name for graffiti writers with his negative depictions of Mayor Rob Ford and weakens the argument in favor of graffiti. There are better ways to fight back.
ReplyDeleteToronto should consider doing what St. Catharines does. I'm not completely certain of the specifics, but there is at least one day a year when graffiti artists are invited to graffiti an alleyway in downtown St. Catharines. My friend told me about it and showed me some pictures of the development of some artists work that day and it was actually very cool on the part of the city to embrace the artistry that goes into graffiti.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Andrew
ReplyDeleteWhat a thought provoking and well thought out article... thank you!!!!!
ReplyDeleteJust wante to Let you Know that CENSORED (SPUD vs Mayor Ford) runs till th eend of the month .. so if you feel better please feel free to check out the show
I definitely agree that there should be more legal spaces for these artists because a lot of the work they do is phenomenal. I think it's hilarious that SPUD is creating these Rob Ford pieces. Rob Ford is a public figure and him and his very public weight loss attempt don't seem to be shying away from any attention. I hope that they come to a fair resolution for this "war."
ReplyDeleteOh man! This is awesome! I wish I had found out about this info for my blog! The mayor definitely needs to rethink how he's going about the fight against graffiti. Trying to erase the problem is only going to provoke more (I'd like to see more). That much is clear. Thanks Boss.
ReplyDeleteThere is a gigantic gulf of difference between "graffiti artists" and those who simply tag stuff, which my dog could do is she had opposable thumbs. Even bearing this difference in mind, I don't believe anyone has the right to desecrate or adorn property that isn't theirs, even if you're Monet. I don't like Rob Ford, but I agree with him here.
ReplyDeleteIt would be nice to see more graffiti art, but in my mind that has nothing to do with tagging buildings. Most fine artists don't do oil paintings on the sides of city property just because they can't get their work into a gallery.
Rachel have you ever been to Detroit? The graffiti there is amaaaazzziiinnngg, it's one of my favourite parts of driving through the city when I do a little shopping over there. It always blows my mind though how they get it on over passes and at the tops of abandoned buildings and what not.
ReplyDeleteEllen I agree! I have family that live in Michigan and every time we drive to Detroit I'm amazed how talented the street artists are.
ReplyDelete