Propriospect

Los Angeles is one of the most populated cities in the United States, and is usually associated as a melting pot of different cultures. The different communities, cultures and ethnic groups come together through the presence of pieces painted all over the walls of our cities. The artists in Los Angeles all are glad to be a part of the city and their murals have a sense of pride and love towards the city. I might have spent way too much time analyzing the different murals in my city, but due to my constant exposure to street art, I believe that the true identity of different communities come to light by them. I personally think that Los Angeles is not defined by the architectures or the different ethnic groups present in the city, but by the different styles of art and artists present on the streets. Through the works of art, the emotions and the opinions of the community is expressed for the whole world to appreciate.

When an artist paints the wall, the work is an open gallery for everyone to see. According to Blek le Rat, one of the first street artists in Paris, “…in galleries they’re (paintings) are seen by 40 people, in museums they’re seen by 10 people, but in the streets they’re seen by 100,000 people.” (Waclawek 2011) Which is the beauty of street art, it is open for tourists to appreciate and analyze. Whenever I visit a city, I am always drawn to the graffiti because I have been conditioned to look for graffiti. When the city has no form of street art, it disappoints me because the true personality and character of a city is not shown but hidden by the city’s need to be clean.

My interest towards street art has always been present, maybe because art in general has played a huge role in all personal, mental and social aspects of my life, but I decided to research more about it because I found that there are deeper meanings to the murals than just to vandalize the city. From the oral narratives of community artists, the graffiti have had a positive impact to the city and the inhabitants as well. I not only wanted to learn more about the influence it had on the community but also to de-stigmatize graffiti’s negative connotation.