Street Art or Graffiti. Eyes open to a new way of seeing.

Building used by squatters, painted by Blu.

Rome, as it turns out, is one of the world centers of street art.

For me, these months in Rome have opened a world of art and visual expression which I was unaware of before.  One of my pleasures here has been wandering the city and finding both art and interesting graffiti.  Then following up to find out that there is a whole system of street art which includes Rome and several other urban centers worldwide.  Since last June, it seems that Google somehow has taken on street art--not exactly curating it but recording and disseminating it.  What a combination: from gritty streets to slick electronic wizardry.  Since Google's trajectory more or less parallels mine, I feel very "cool" and cutting edge. (Don't burst my bubble.  I know this stuff has been of increasing interest for many for several years.  But, hey...) London and Berlin are other centers but I was only peripherally aware of the art among the graffiti when visiting.  Having a longer time to wander in Rome has enabled me to see and know to look for street art.

We have been living in Rome very near Testaccio and Ostiense--kind of ground zero for Roman street art although there are examples in other areas too.  Some of this art is formal and sponsored by organizations, other is the creation of artists who retain fierce independence. The Global Street Art Foundation of London has sponsored projects which have brought in internationally recognized street artists to work in the area.  We have a Google map and even an app for finding the art.

This building, also pictured at beginning of blog, is decorated by Blu (full name used for public). For several years it has been a place where squatters managed to live and form community.  It is in Ostiense.  It is a favorite of ours and our favorite gelato place is on the corner.

Abandoned building decorated in about 2009-10.

Great gelato while viewing Blu's building in background.

Blu has remained independent of organizations which promote street art.  However, other good art has been assisted by supportive organizations. The Commune de Roma (Rome City Government) has taken a hand in allowing and promoting some of the art. Other major street art in the area came after this and has made the city one of distinction in excellent street art.

Percy Bryce Shelly

Work by Ozmo

Moneyless x Martina Merlini x Andreco x 2501 x Ozmo x Tellas x Gaia (IT-USA), Sottopasso Ostiense, 2013

This opens a question about the relationship between street art and graffiti.  Rome has much graffiti.  It hits you eye when entering the city.  For us, it took awhile to begin to see past the mess.  Some of the graffiti is just junk, sometimes the junk becomes intense enough to become something more interesting visually.  Sometimes businesses actually decorate their shutters with graffiti-style signage. Political graffiti appears from time to time. And we have one graffitisti whose work we follow who amuses us by altering traffic signs.  So many visual threads to follow; so little time.

Street art, whether sponsored or not, has visual coherence which distinguishes it from other graffiti.  This is just me making a distinction.  Others who follow street art will have different ways to think about what we are looking at and I am not aware of much theory or criticism in this realm.  Could be me behind the curve though.  I notice that in street art websites and in Google's curated site what is being shown is called graffiti and is what I call street art.  The tech galleries showcase street art and rarely include what might be the "folk art" of graffiti.

Anyway,  looking at the building by Blu, (above) or at my very favorite street panel (below) there is clear composition, use of color, line, volume, to create a visual statement.  The artwork is by an Italian street artist.  For quite awhile I thought it was either Hebrew or Arabic but it seems to be neither.  Anyone with insight about it, let me know.  I enjoy looking at it and am there often as it is the closest bus stop to Testaccio Market where I shop often.




Romeo (IT), "Tribolazione di un punto d'incontro", 2013.  We use this bus stop.


Commercial uses

Some of the painted business shutters also have a visual coherence that rises to a level of at least commercial art.

Physical therapist office on the ground floor of our building.

Space cafe near the Ostiense train station

Graffiti or Folk Art?

Much of Rome, even upscale areas, has graffiti on buildings and other surfaces which looks like a mess to me.  Someone found a surface, marked it but may have given little thought to the composition of the marks.  Some does seem to have intention and thought to composition--maybe "folk art"? This is pretty much everywhere to the point that I barely see it anymore unless there seems to be a specific meaning.  I do not think of this as art but I am sure many would have a lively discussion about merits and whether it is art or not art.

Roadway embankment in an upscale area, Monteverde.

But when such random markings completely cover a surface, presumably made by many random mark-makers, some of the results begin to be visually interesting.  I am charmed and interested by this phenomena.

Metro Line B has significant graffiti; A Line has little.

I enjoy this winged giraffe, definitely "folk art."

Learning to "see" or "frame" street art

I further wonder whether a tolerance of graffiti, mess or otherwise, is necessary for the creation and appreciation of actual street art.  Is graffiti the "little league" and some of those who make it go on to become actual artists?  Is it necessary to see a lot of graffiti mess to begin to sort it out visually as a viewer --in order to be able to "see" street art?

Background: Roa (BE), "Jumping Wolf", 2014.  Foreground: Nancy talking to the artist who has just completed the painting of the face on the construction fence.

Artist painting face. We are sorry not to have his name.

No conclusions on my part but I did have to look at a lot of stuff on walls to begin to see what I value more artistically versus what I continue to see as mess.  I think the above photo illustrates the concept of framing--it is easier to "see" the wolf on the side of the building than the painting on the construction fence which is the actual focus of my photo.  My skill and equipment as a photographer are lacking too but there is more at work.

As far as I know, there is no money or art market in the street art world.  Banksey is a celebrated London street art figure (no work in Rome that I am aware of) and there are financial swirls around his art after it appears, but he is not creating for a market.  There is at least one gallery in Rome which tried to display "street art" as wall panels, presumably for sale. The gallery had a very short life; I do not know what kind of money the artists or gallerist got, if any.  The street art organizations putting on conferences pump a bit of money into the pockets of the invited artists and there is some thought that real estate values rise after an area has been targeted as a haven for street art.  That may be happening in Ostiense and Testaccio now after they were a center for the Rome street art conference in 2014. But what is causal? What just chance?

For me, it is all interesting, both visually and intellectually. Some of the bloggers I follow have helped me figure out some of the Rome Street Art scene and you may enjoy them too.  Rome the Second Time reports on graffiti here and here.  Another blogger sporadically follows Rome Street art.

Other graffiti, not art, is just fun.

This graffiti is just outside the front door of our building.

Gallery

Below are other street art or graffiti images which I enjoy. Images are presented in no particular order and to illustrate no particular point--something like street art.

Text and photos by Julianne.