Street Art is Dead...?

Sever - Street Art Funeral. Picture by Jsinghur

It's some time now since Sever made this piece in Detroit. I've been thinking some time about this piece since I saw it on the net some months ago. What do Sever wants to tell us with this. All the figures in the piece, Shepard Fairey (Obeygiant), Os Gemeos, Twist (Barry McGee), Banksy, Futura and Kaws are artists that began their career doing illegal graffiti and street art. Now, they are recognized artists doing gallery exhibitions, sell prints and merchandise, and do commissioned work around the world. Their works are sold for huge figures on art auctions. They have a commercial market value and have become part of the establishment.

 If street art is dead, it refers to a certain opinion or notion about what street art was and how it died, And yet, It's quite difficult to find a common understanding of what street art is or was.

We could think of Street Art in a broad sense as art in different genres made outside (in the streets) and free for the public to see. Then we would have to include art genres as graffiti in all its forms, murals, sculptures, performances, installations, music, dance, literature etc. One criteria could probably be that you could distinguish these works from business signs, commercials and event posters. This definition does not distinguish between public art placed or organized by officials or legally by private interests and art work which is done spontaneous or illegally in the streets. With this definition we could say that Street Art is still alive, even if time have made the boundaries between public and private interests, commercial and non-commercial art, and legal and illegal art more blurred and unclear. So, when Os Gemeos paints a huge wall legally in Boston on commission (which may or may not be paid), it's regarded as Street Art because it's in a public space and free and for everybody to see.

Another way to look at it, is to see Street Art as part of the Graffiti movement, a culture, which started in US, France and UK in the late 70's together with rap music, punk music and politically radical communities. It was illegal, anti-commercial, subversive, political and regarded as underground activity and vandalism by the officials and the establishment. In the 80's and 90's the culture grew, expanded and differentiated into a multivariate of styles, technics and inspirations. New York based train painters influenced kids in Europe, and French stencil makers gave ideas to US and Australian artists and so on. The graffiti and street art culture became international, but also divided into subcultures with different "rules" and views on what their work was about. During the 2000s, the globalization of graffiti and street art have continued and the respective subcultures too. When these subcultures clash, they are referred to as "Graffiti War.” I think Sever's work in Detroit must be seen as a comment on the parts of the street art culture that have been commercialized, and that the main representatives (the coffin carriers) are ruining, in his view, what street art is about, the spirit and values.

The situation is confusing because today, the same "vandal" can be exhibited in a famous art institution in L.A., and arrested for vandalism in another state or country; A stencil piece raising awareness about child labour made illegally on a wall in North-East London, can be removed and sold on a art auction in America for more than a million dollars; President Obama have a street art print in the White House presented to him by the conservative prime minister in UK made by an artist who have been arrested and fined several times for vandalism.

In this view, the street art culture may not be dead yet, but the idea of a street art movement is deconstructed and transferred into a pop culture with present "street-art-stars" which travel the world. The public follows and everybody with an artistic talent wants be like them. The visited city gets free publicity on internet worth millions. Organised street art festivals around the world even use the word "Line up" when they refer to which artists that will be presenting their works.  When "the biggest of them all" Banksy is asked: "Why are you such a sell out?" His answer is "I wish I had a pound for every time someone asked me that."

DOLK 10 years! From vandal to artist

From illegal street art to high priced prints

Dolk began as street artist in Bergen in 2003 and according to an interview done in 2004, he had clear goals with his work: To travel the world and make money from his art. That goal is reached. He sells prints through hand made posters (hmp) where most works are priced about 900 pounds and most works are sold out. These works goes on ebay for way higher prices. Dolk have gallery exhibitions and are invited to major international street art festivals and do commissioned works all over the world. Dolk have been and is a success story.

His break trough as a stencil artist was probably when Dolk participated at "Santa's Ghetto" festival in London in 2006 (Invited by Banksy). At the same time, this probably also ends his underground image as a vandal, doing illegal works in the streets.

There are not many illegal pieces from Dolk left, and Bergen is probably still the only place where you can find early illegal works by Dolk.

Dolk in Sandviken Bergen (photo 2011)

"Crush" by Dolk in Skottegaten, Bergen (Photo 2011)

Ghetto Spedalsk (Lofoten 2008)

One of Dolks most remarkable projects so far is Ghetto Spedalsk together with Pøbel in the rural area of Lofoten, Norway. They began to paint abandoned houses in 2008 and have continued to do so every summer. This project brought attention to the depopulation and decay in rural parts of Norway and is nationally and internationally recognised. These art works are as far away from their urban roots as possible. I have not been in the Lofoten area my self and is high on my "things to do list". See some works in Lofoten here and on Dolk's own webpage here.

Dolk vs. Banksy

Back in 2004, Dolk formulated another goal in his interview: To "crush" Banksy. Well, that goal still seems far fetched. Banksy was (and may still be) Dolk's idol and hero and influenced Dolk's stecil style early on. Dolk, as Banksy, have still kept his identity a secret and people mix up works by the two artists. Banksy undoubtably helped Dolk's career by inviting Dolk to festivals in London and probably they are friends. Banksy is still the master of this game. While Dolk do commissioned work, sell prints and exhibit in galleries, Banksy still do illegal work in the streets, he makes books, films and action oriented art stunts. Banksy have kept his subversive tone and seems to be more a better organiser and creative to a larger extent than Dolk.

"The Winner" one of the latest works from Dolk. Made for Bergen Night Jazz, May 2013 (photo 2013)

Dolk: Girl with Megaphone

Dolk Stencil in Stavanger

Street art is a genre were the work outside on the wall is done in seconds, often at night time when darkness and shadows hides the identity of the maker. When the city wakes up, and people buzz around to work, to school, to the bus etc. their environment is changed, a wall have been decorated with something for them to see. It's not a commercial,  a poster or an info board, but street art signed by a pseudonym.

Before this happens, the street art maker have planned this process carefully. The creative process, the idea work and equipment is important. Dependent on style/technics, the street artist make sketches, drawings, prints, cut out stencils, mix wheat paste and choose the right spray paints and colours at home (street artists usually can't afford studios). The placement is important. Its important to be seen (a busy place) and is important to find a place where the work will stay for a while (not painted over or removed at once by angry owners or officials). The street artist also have to take into account CCTV cameras and quick escape routes if detected by security, police or property owners.

The difference between street art and more traditional gallery art is that street art often gives an immediate impression or message to the bypassers which is both recognizable and "food for thought" at the same time. Street art is often simple in style, use iconic images or symbols. Sometimes critical, subversive and satirical. The works challenge our minds, values and ideas. Street art is "anti-commercial", often using similar visual effects and strategies in the public space as the commercial industry.

I think this Paste-up by ICON I found in London is a good example of a classical street art work

However, much has changed the last decade, and the difference between street art, modern art, conceptual art, public art and commercialism is more blury. Today street art as a culture have elements that is both legal and illegal, political and non-political, figural and abstract, small and big, urban and rural, wanted and unwanted, commercial and non commercial, some works is made in seconds and some takes days etc. Many street artists do work both outside and inside (in galleries and in public buildings). What's the difference between street art and vandalism? It's not an easy question to answer because it depends on the eye of the beholder. Today, Dolks street art is highly regarded in Bergen (and internationally) and the works that are left in the streets are preserved, even if this was made illegaly in the first place and previously was regarded as vandalism.

The photo above, showing a girl with a megaphone, I took in Stavanger 2011. This girl have something important to say. To whom? Dolks works often challenge our minds, both on a personal and societal level. See also a previous post about Dolk. Together with this comes "Message in a bottle" with The Police (Click on the link or the "play" button in the box below)