Illegal graffiti is disconnected from standard modes of visual production in
fine art and design. The primary purpose of illegal graffiti for the graffiti
writer is not the visual product, but "getting up." Getting up involves writing
or painting one's name in as many places as possible for fame. The elements
of risk, freedom and ritual unique to illegal graffiti serve to increase
camaraderie among graffiti writers even as an individual's fame in the graffiti
subculture increases. When graffiti has moved from illegal locations to the
legal arenas of fine art and advertising; risk, ritual and to some extent,
camaraderie, has been lost in the translation. Illegal graffiti is often
erroneously associated with criminal gangs. Legal modes of production using
graffiti-style are problematic in the public eye as a result.
I used primary and secondary interviews with graffiti writers in this book. My
art historical approach differed from previous writers who have used mainly
anthropological and popular culture methods to examine graffiti. This
analysis enabled me to demonstrate that illegal graffiti is not art.