HISTORY OF STREET ART
From crime to museums
Graffiti has come a long way to become what it is today. Graffiti can be tracked down to the stone age. Abstract shapes and forms were painted in the walls as a way of expression. Omnipresent globally, it has evolved into a complex art form encompassing various practices. In the 20th century, Latin artists such as Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo began painting and creating murals in public spaces that completely changed the landscape of Latin-America. In the early 1940s, small drawings like "Kilroy" began appearing in streets all over the world as a significant sign of WW2 and the war in Korea. In the 1950s, gangs began using spray paint to vandalize public spaces and rebel against authorities.
PHASE 2, Photo by The New York Times
Then the 60s and 70s brought counterculture. A movement of people in the US and Europe that went against the working ethics and the control of the system. Street art began to be considered as a legitimate form of expression and associations such as the UNITED GRAFFITI ARTISTS surfaced. These many years were a critical turning point in the history of street art –it was when youngsters, by reacting to the socio-world of politics, begun making a development, taking the 'fight' into their own hands. Graffiti became a way of voicing opinions against corporations and political figures.
TRACY 168, Photo by The Martinez Gallery