Graffiti Art Gains Broad Appeal but Not Broad Acceptance
March 18th, 2010
A Local Grafiti Artist Speaks About His Craft
by Richard Markosian
The first week of Sundance I got an inside scoop about a man called "Banksy." An underground artist notorius for pasting his work at the Louvre, spray-painting tags on zoo animals, and who has gained notoriety in London. Banksy had come to take us by storm. The man whom no one has ever seen had been tagging billboards and buildings in and around Salt Lake City.
"Wow," I thought, "A great, non-mainstream underground rebel who is premiering a film at Sundance." The next thing I know Banksy is on KSL News and even the Deseret News is reporting on his work.
The reaction of the mainstream media to Banksy and his art ended up the real story: graffiti art -- once reserved for criminals and gang bangers has gone mainstream (at least somewhat).
Travel down 300 South and we see a sucession of buildings where there are permanent installments of urban artwork sprayed on their facades or sides.
The residents of Park City are so in love with their Banksy piece, tagged on the side of a Main Street building, (pictured to the left) that the building owners decided they didn't want to have the city come "clean up" the defacement and instead covered the work with a piece of plexiglass to protect it from less-skilled artists.
All of the pieces done by Banksy have been cleaned up or covered over by the city except the single piece in Park City.
When the famous glass artist Dale Chihuli visited Salt Lake during the Olympics he made a Medusa chandelier. It still hangs in Abravanel Hall. But, when arguably the most famous street artist ever comes to Utah, we must quickly "clean up his defacement."
So goes the life and work of a grafitti artist -- unseen and unheard artists who lurk in the shadows only to be known by their aliases and temporary pieces.
This has mostly been the norm for street artists but it seems there is something of a shift happening as grafitti art, or it's more mainstream term "urban art," is gaining wider appeal.
Uprok Records in downtown Salt Lake City has been a home for local grafitti artists for over 10 years. The owner of Uprok, Chase, grew up around grafitti and street artists as "a way to express yourself, and make yourself known in the neighborhood."
Local Artist: Sly
We interviewed a young man at Uprok who wore a bandana who wanted to remain anonomous. We will call him "Sly". Sly's wish to remain unknown isn't out of out of fear of being caught or arrested but more because, he says, "I'm just a private person, I've always been low key and I'd rather not be recognized."
Sly says that he grew up in a tough part of town. But when questioned if the tagging and graffiti lead to territorial battles or gang participation he said, "there is a clear difference between the guys who are in gangs and the kids doing graffiti...the [gang members] are out to make it clear where their territory is and the graffiti artists just want to find a place to do their art."
Sly has been commissioned by large corporations such as Red Bull and Mountain Dew to spray paint artwork for events. When asked how much he typically charged for a commission, he said, "it totally depends on the client and situation." Sly say that he received over $1200 once for one day of work.
Urban Art Appealing to the Mainstream
As urban art is gaining wider appeal, corporatations are realizing how they can use this shift to their advantage in marketing and merchandising. While national chain stores such as Urban Outfitters play to the wide acceptance of this trend, there are many boutique clothiers and shops offering a unique SLC spin on the clothing and culture.
located at 9th and 9th above Mazza.
Kathy Moran of Peach Boutique at 9th and 9th started her boutique in a small section inside of Uprok. She realized there were a lot of women who wanted the type of clothing she offered and found a niche. Moran later moved out of Uprok into her own store. Her new store has been open 14 months and features clothing that isn't simply hip-hop style but more urban and mainstream. Moran hosts bi-annual fashion shows and gallery shows with her friends who are DJs and photographers and graffit writers. Peach Boutique in trendy 9th and 9th is thriving. The store is clean and the clothing is not the "hip-hop" style I'm familiar with but more of an edgy chic.
It's clear in talking to Chase and his group of friends at Uprok that the idea of their work becoming "mainstream" doesn't exactly sit well. "Just because you can go out and put tags all over your backpack and clothes doesn't make you a graffit writer."
Uprok records has recently moved to a new location one block South of their original location at 342 South State Street.
