STREET ART – ENDANGERED SPECIES?
When I was a senior in secondary school, a journalist carrying out a survey on conformism and non-conformism in contemporary world asked us – secondary-school pupils, representatives of the young generation – to express our opinion on this phenomenon. We agreed unanimously that we belonged to the generation of conformists and as a reason of such state of affairs we pointed the fact that, however prosaically it might have seemed, we had nothing to rebel against. We lack lofty ideas, with which the 20th century was pervaded, and because of that, in comparison with the last one hundred years, the performance we give turns out to be quite lame or worse still – dull. To every single opportunity of voicing objections, even in a trivial case, we respond with redoubled strength perceiving it as a chance to define both ourselves and our generation’s identity. In the end, in our rebellion we are either ridiculous (like my secondary-school peers fiercely and unanimously struggling with a ban on the sterner sex wearing shorts on the school premises) or insincere (when, sometimes subconsciously, we stand up for a particular case just because the others do so, that is to say, paradoxically, we give in to conformism through rebellion). It is so sad an observation, especially if we realize that the problem spreads to the area of modern art, too. At least this is the conclusion that can be reached after becoming familiarized with articles run in the latest issues of “Art&Business” (7-8/2008) and “ARTeon” (7/2008) concerning the phenomenon of street art (which, after all, derives from rebellion).
Summer issues of both those magazines take up, not without reason, an identical topic. A source of inspiration to understand better the art of the street happened to be an exhibition at the Tate Modern, to the walls of which (more specifically, the exterior walls) street artists from the USA, Brazil, Italy, France and Spain were invited to appropriate for their craft. Dagmara Budzbon – the author of the article printed in “Art&Business” entitled Dwie odsłony street artu (Two Facets of Street Art) compares the Tate Modern exhibition with another one, being held simultaneously in Selfridges department store, the place where collectors were willing to pay considerable amounts of money for street artists works, which, as a matter of fact, depart considerably from the uncompromising and non-commercial origins of street art. The evidence for that might be, for instance, the artists` return to painting on canvas (because, as the author remarks, a painting sells much better at auctions, not a piece of wall). Only the subject of street art still turns to political issues just as it has been doing originally, since the 60s when a Pole of Jewish decent – Gerard Złotykamień – made in Paris the first graffiti voicing an objection against violence and war. Compared to Selfridges department store, the Tate Modern exhibition comes out more convincingly indeed (at least, as sincere as such opinion can be in the context of the works of artists, who, submitting to an institution like a museum, take their artistic action contrary to the principles and spirit of “street art”). The exterior walls of the building are definitely more like the original form of street art thanks to being placed precisely on the street, not in an isolated gallery zone but among people, and because after the exhibition is over, everything will undergo a scheduled destruction (since destruction is, after all, an inherent part of street art). That aspect was emphasised by Karolina Majewska (Kreatywność destrukcji. Street art w Tate Modern / The Creativity of Destruction. Street Art at the Tate Modern. – “ARTeon”), who is, however, much more critical towards the exhibition itself. She discerns the artificiality of that kind of productions considering them an attempt at control of the art by critics and curators.
The editorial staff of “ARTeon” did not limit themselves to discussing the Tate Modern exhibition but made it a point of departure for the central theme of the whole issue. And thus Justyna Balisz`s text Vive le street art! on popularity of street art in Berlin can be found in the magazine, as well as Piotr Bernatowicz`s article Sztuka w cieniu konfliktu III – Przybieżeli do Betlejem artyści (Art in the Background of the Conflict III – Artists Came to Bethlehem) about street art designers` controversial activity in the Middle East conflict area.
It is Natalia Kaliś`s text Na ulicy i w necie, czyli dynamika polskiego street artu (On the Street And on the Web – Dynamism of Polish Street Art) thanks to which we can find out something about the state of street art in Poland. As it turns out, we lag behind the West, which in this particular case is, by no means bad because while their street art yielded to commercialization, ours still lives in its original and independent from the official circulation form. It will change slowly, of course. First symptoms have already appeared, an evidence for which might be the last-year’s exhibition “Polish Painting of the 21st Century” at the Warsaw art gallery “Zachęta” during which on the walls just next to the most acknowledged artists` works street art designers` insets came out. Situations of that kind are, for the time being, a rarity. The attitude towards street art in Poland is still, as the author points out, quite flippant, as this kind of expression is being put on the sidelines. The lack of significant interest from potential buyers has been creating, up till now, favourable conditions for the uncompromising atmosphere, which some of the Polish street art circles, who intentionally dissociate themselves from the official gallery circulation, prefer.
While looking at the present situation of street art in other countries, it seems that its fate, also in Poland, has already been decided. An open question that remains at present is whether or not it should worry us. If we follow the history of art since the end of the 19th century, it will turn out that avant-garde artists, initially in opposition to the main trend, sooner or later entered the crème de la crème of their times (the Impressionists` fates and their Salon des Refusés (Salon of The Refused) may serve as an example, or the Futurists` calling for tearing down the same museums in which we can admire their works to this day). So, isn`t it a usual thing? After all, every single rebellion is driven by someone, who rejects a particular reality, against something in that reality that he or she cannot tolerate. When the goal is gone, or when there arises a mutual acceptance between the rebels and society, all objection might only remain as an ostentatious, gross artificiality, a pose of a spoiled kid who does not impress anyone much anymore.
Anna Spruch
Translated by Magdalena Kazimierska
Discussed journals: Art & Business. Polska Sztuka i Antyki, ARTeon