Can graffiti ever be art? UK city votes on it

Jody - An unfinished mural on a Bristol wall. Photo / Bristolgraffiti.wordpress.com

The Bristol City Council in the UK has asked its constituents to take part in a local referendum on whether graffiti in the city should stay or be removed.

Although the word "graffiti" may hold negative connotations to many, a number of graffiti works in Bristol are considered pieces of art.

In fact, uproar ensued after the graffiti work of internationally renowned UK artist, Banksy was vandalised in the city, and it is this incident which instigated the council's initiative.

The Banksy work, showing a naked man hanging out of a window while his lover's partner looks for him, appeared on a council-owned building in 2005, was vandalised in June.

The council then set up an online poll to see whether or not the image should be removed.

93% of voters said they wanted to piece to stay reports the

Guardian

.

The Bristol cleaning team are now prevented from painting over any graffiti which might be considered "street art" until after a public vote has been held reported the

Telegraph

.

Photographs will be posted on the council's website and the public asked to voice their opinions said the

Guardian

.

"We have said informally that if it is street art that people like we will keep it but we want to formalise it now into a policy," said councillor Gary Hopkins, cabinet member for Environment and Community Safety.

"People want us to keep up the war against the taggers so we have had to work out a way to differentiate between the taggers and the artists".

Not everyone is happy though.

According to the

Guardian

, UK art critic Brian Sewell said Banksy's popularity was another sign that "the art world has gone absolutely crazy."

"Any fool who can put paint on canvas or turn a cardboard box into a sculpture is lauded. Banksy should have been put down at birth," said Sewell. "His work has no virtue. It's merely the sheer scale of his impudence that has given him so much publicity."

Across the ditch in Melbourne, street art has been embraced by local authorities as a tourist attraction, with street art tours even available.

The tours are run by street artists and tourists are led around the city's underground art by a local artist.

The Melbourne City Council says Melbourne "recognises the importance of street art in contributing to a vibrant urban culture."

Melbourne's street art has become an attraction for local and overseas visitors experiencing Melbourne's "creative ambience" says the city's website.

Examples of some of the city's street art can be seen at:

'Melbourne Street Art'

- NZ HERALD STAFF

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