Some call it graffiti, or even vandalism, but according to the Wikipedia website, street art is any art developed in public places, and usually refers to art of an illicit nature rather than government sponsored initiatives such as murals and sculptures. It can include traditional graffiti artwork, sticker art and street poster art, video projection, and street installations (3-D graffiti, but does not include territorial graffiti or vandalism.
Essentially it is the motivations and objectives behind the art that distinguishes street art from other genres. What actually drives street artists to create can be as varied as the artists themselves.
A common theme in urban art is activism and subversion. As advertisers know, street art is a key way to reach the public. A frequent theme is adbusting and “subvertising” which are parodies of corporate and political advertisements in order to make a statement. Other objectives include “culture jamming” (a resistance movement against the homogenous nature of pop culture), the abolishment of private property, and “reclaiming the streets” (an ideal of community ownership of public spaces).
Some street artists merely regard urban space as a gallery for their personal artwork, while others seem to thrive on the challenges and risks involved with installing illicit artwork in public places. However it seems that the common motivations for nearly all street art is to reach a much broader audience than traditional artwork and galleries normally allow, especially for artists whose work may not necessarily have a wide commercial appeal.
Essentially it is the motivations and objectives behind the art that distinguishes street art from other genres. What actually drives street artists to create can be as varied as the artists themselves.
A common theme in urban art is activism and subversion. As advertisers know, street art is a key way to reach the public. A frequent theme is adbusting and “subvertising” which are parodies of corporate and political advertisements in order to make a statement. Other objectives include “culture jamming” (a resistance movement against the homogenous nature of pop culture), the abolishment of private property, and “reclaiming the streets” (an ideal of community ownership of public spaces).
Some street artists merely regard urban space as a gallery for their personal artwork, while others seem to thrive on the challenges and risks involved with installing illicit artwork in public places. However it seems that the common motivations for nearly all street art is to reach a much broader audience than traditional artwork and galleries normally allow, especially for artists whose work may not necessarily have a wide commercial appeal.