The Word on the Streets

January 2026 - When I was growing up, an awful long time ago now, graffiti was considered to be a pain, a blight on society, nothing short of sheer vandalism. Every new or clean wall, bus shelter or tube train seemed to attract some lout with a can of spray paint and something (or rather nothing) to say and soon enough it would be emblazoned with their personal statement to the world, their tag, a sign that they were there. A display with no sense or purpose and a level of artistry that would have made Tony Hart break every crayon and paint brush available, out of frustration - but then graffiti morphed into something completely different. It came of age, matured and suddenly it was fashionable and desirable.

Vandals either reinvented themselves or they were overtaken by a new breed of creative and became Street Artists. No longer was anything and everything desecrated, the new collective started to create works of art that were immediately understood for what they were and were meant to represent, and they often incorporated something of the surroundings or environment that they were created in. Often, there was still a message included, but rather than it being political or confrontational, it became complimentary and educational. The tags are still there - all artists sign their work after all - but these days they’re a lot more subtle and tucked away.

These new pieces of artwork also brought with them a few legal issues. With graffiti, no one knew who had done it and they certainly didn’t admit to it for fear of prosecution, neither did anyone claim ownership of it either, if they could avoid it, as this meant being held responsible for removing the eyesore, and the cost that went with it. With street art however, the story is completely different. Artists are now more often known, and in many cases admired and now the debate is surrounded on who actually owns the piece and whether or not permission was sought prior to the artwork being installed – which in most cases of course, it wasn’t - although you’ve never heard many, if indeed any, complaints from the owners of property that Banksy has graced with his presence - quite the opposite in fact, considering the speed at which some of them are now removed for their own protection - or that of the windfall the owners new ‘asset’ might be able to realise in the future.

Perhaps the most famous of all Street Artists is the aforementioned Banksy, more famous than the others perhaps, as no one still knows who he is - or those that do know, are doing a very good job of keeping it secret. For over twenty years, he’s produced artwork without anyone noticing him doing it, and then, I guess, sitting back and watching the public’s reaction and the subsequent madness ensue from wherever he may be in Bristol or the world.

From the ‘Howling Wolf’ on a satellite dish in Peckham, stolen within an hour of it being made public, to the ‘Stretching Cat’, in Cricklewood, removed by Contractors, also within hours, much to the displeasure of the booing public watching them doing it, to ‘Rhino’ in Charlton, South-East London, which was actually defaced by a vandal with his nondescript ‘tag’ and was also booed by the public whilst he did it - oh, the sheer irony of it – it’s all created a sense of theatre about it and raised the publicity the work receives even more. How much of all this is genuine is being questioned in some quarters as it’s believed that the acts may have been part of the actual installation itself, much in the same way as the framed version of ‘Girl with Balloon’ was half shredded moments after it was purchased at auction for £1.1m and then sold again a while later for £16m !

Some cities such as Glasgow have even embraced street art, or mural trail as they prefer to call it and have produced a Trail Guide as one of the city’s tourist attractions. London has more than a dozen trails available, many of which come with a Tour Guide who has worked together with the artists to provide a back story to the artwork. A quick look on Google and you’ll find the same sort of thing on offer in Paris, Brussels, Copenhagen and Oslo just for starters, although for the biggest concentration of street art outside of New York, you’ll need to head for Berlin, where you’ll find swathes of dark, grey walls left over from the days of communism transformed into bright, colourful galleries that have completely changed the urban landscape. The East Side Gallery, Moritzplatz and the Legacy Wall in Gleisdreieck Park are the main areas to go, although the latter devotes itself to tags, more than ‘art’, but the history behind it all is interesting enough as tags are considered to be the precursor to the art we have today.

One thing is for certain, post graffiti or visual art as its now defined as, has brightened up many a dull wall with the artwork often having been commissioned these days by the owner / landlord of the building or the local council as part of their cultural policy. Perhaps the biggest turn around though has been by the general public who are now socially accepting and rather protective of their own public art gallery in the town or city that they live, rather than being appalled at the delinquency that did nothing but lower the tone of the neighbourhood.

You can find more information on the Glasgow Mural Trail by clicking here…

You can find more information on Berlin’s Urban Art Trail by clicking here…