Response Paper 3

Authorization of Public Art

3/3/17

I define public art as artwork that is accessible by the public and created for the people. The street artists’ artwork is not necessarily authorized by someone set in power, but their artwork is dispersed by either non-profit organizations such as the Hong Kong Contemporary Art (HOCA) Foundation or museums such as the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in Los Angeles. These sites are funded by the donations of people attentive to art. The three artists I focus on, Vhils, Blu, and Swoon, create artwork representing a greater cause than they imagine: bringing attention to the oppressed issues of today.

Alexandre Farto, also known as Vhils, is a Portuguese artist who has been a prolific graffiti artist since the 2000s. He was born in Lisbon, Portugal, but he grew up on Seixal, Portugal, an industrialised suburb that was greatly affected by the urban development transformations during the 1980s and 1990s (About Vhils). Vhils does not only rely on spray-paint, he also “destroys to create” something new among the walls with the theme of vandalism which includes the use of stencil paintings, wall carvings, pyrotechnic explosions, 3D modelling, and installations to music videos. His art is not authorized by anyone, except when it comes to his participation in exhibitions. When he began collaborating with the non-profit organization, Hong Kong Contemporary Art Foundation, he focused on producing his work for the benefit of his purpose which aligned with the foundation’s objective.

Figure 1. Vhils, Debris, 2016

The Hong Kong Contemporary Art Foundation “[aims] to bring art to the city outside of a gallery context by curating contemporary art exhibitions and events across Hong Kong” (About HOCA). Vhils focuses on the common people, creating art that brings attention to the marginalized groups of people who have been affected by urbanization.  Vhils utilized the layers of paper on the wall to bring out the faces of the individuals one sees on the streets (Figure 1). After living as an artist-in-residence in the city, Vhils wanted to form his reflection “on how individuals are both shaped and help shape the seemingly overwhelming urban environment they live in” (VHILS: DEBRIS). Vhils has the same intention as the organization, therefore the artist decides where to authorize his art to be utilized.

Although Vhils got the support of the organization HOCA, Blu, another street artist, was “recruited” by the director of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles to create a piece of artwork that expressed the reality of street art. The director, Jeffrey Deitch, was born in 1952 in Hartford, CT. He has been involved with modern and contemporary art “for more than forty years as an artist, writer, curator, dealer, and advisor” (Deitch). He presented the project Art in the Streets which would have included Blu’s piece except that it was white washed. Blu is an Italian street artist, who still conceals his identity. He currently lives in Bologna, Italy and has been involved with street art since 1999. Blu is well-known for his sarcastic human figures often resembling comic and videogame art (Street Art Bio). While Blu was growing up, he began painting graffiti with spray paint and slowly started utilizing house paint and larger spaces. During the project Art in the Streets, Blu was given the entire north wall of MOCA’s Geffen Contemporary as his canvas. Blu created “a mural of coffins draped in dollar bills in December of 2010 (Laweekly). His mural was not sanctioned by the museum and was painted in the absence of Deitch. This shows how art is actually authorized by the artist, and not by the person in power. Although Deitch had Blu’s mural white washed, Blu decided what to create in that empty space. He could still paint that image on another wall without the permission of anyone. As street artist know, their artwork sooner or later is going to be covered.

Figure 2. Blu, 2014

Blu painted a mural for the purpose of the remembrance of the historical event and tragedy that occurred on September 8, 1974. On that day, a 19 year-old boy Fabrizio Ceruso was killed by a gunshot during the clash of the common people with the police. The protest consisted of the people fighting towards the movement for the right to affordable housing in the territory of San Basilio (Roma Today). Without this historical background, most observers of Blu’s mural would not have seen the way the young boy was portrayed as a deity and respected individual in society where after his death, the neighborhood around him changed: the allocation of housing began (Roma Today). Near the bottom of the mural, you can notice the policemen turning into animals such as pigs and sheep (Figure 2). While on the other side of the mural, there are houses that were being destroyed. The use of symbolism of the lock towards the sky symbolizes the limit of society and how it does not exist. You can change things in the world even if it is after the death of a community member.

Both Vhils and Blu authorized their own art due to having the courage and option of creating their artwork on the streets without having to show their artwork in museums or exhibitions. Street artists and public art does not need to be given permission because anything can become art. Additionally, public art can still be authorized by the artists even if it is placed in museums because the artist is not given a specific description of what they have to create. If an artist’s work is going to be exhibited, then they do have to be aware of who their audience is because they can still create their controversial mural, but it won’t be allowed to stay in the building.

 

Sources Cited

“About Vhils.” Vhils. n.d. 3 March 2017. <http://vhils.com/about/.>

“VHILS: DEBRIS.” Hoca. Hong Kong Contemporary Art. n.d. 3 March. 2017. <http://hoca.org/vhils-debris/.>

“About HOCA.” Hoca. Hong Kong Contemporary Art. n.d. 3 March 2017. <http://hoca.org/about/.>

“About Jeffrey Deitch.” Deitch. n.d. 3 March 2017. <http://www.deitch.com/about.>

“Blu Biography.” Street Art Bio. n.d. 3 March 2017. <http://www.streetartbio.com/blu.>

“Street Art at MOCA.” Laweekly. 7 April 2011. Accessed 3 March 2017. <http://www.laweekly.com/arts/street-art-at-moca-2169958.>

Sina, Ylenia. “San Basilio, quarant’anni fa la ‘rivolta per la casa’: l’8 settembre 1974 moriva Fabrizio Ceruso.” Roma Today. 8 September 2014. 3 March 2017. <http://www.romatoday.it/cronaca/rivolta-san-basilio-morte-fabrizio-ceruso-8-settembre-1974.html.>