Is graffiti real art? Are people who make graffiti real artists? These questions can be left to opinion, but despite what outsiders may have to say, those in the graffiti community itself have long decided who and what gets the most artistic respect. In fact, it's also very likely that the general public may be influenced about what they consider more appealing because of this. What an artist chooses to leave up and what to cover up is not at random but in fact reliant on an unspoken competitiveness of status. Tags will be covered without a second thought since they're more likely to be considered amateur, whereas murals seem almost void of ephemerality sometimes due to their aesthetic accreditation. This exhibit welcomes you to explore an array of graffiti types present here in Austin, TX and how each type fits into the hierarchies created within the space that artists share.
Start Fresh: Never Give Up from Andrew Takano on Vimeo.
Here is a time lapse video of the HOPE Outdoor Gallery on 1101 Baylor St, Austin, TX. A visual representation of the ephemerality of graffiti but also of the decisions artists make to cover up other artists' work.