Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Graffiti is ancient art form

The Spokesman-Review

Take a look around Spokane. Graffiti and tagging seem to be appearing more and more. Since the art of graffiti began, it has somehow lost its originality and definition as an art form.

Why is it that some choose to hold a spray can and disrespect what graffiti is about?

Graffiti is very much an art. It tells a story, it gives words of expression and, upon closer examination, you’ll see that it uses imagery as a metaphor.

Look around. There are “tags” of meaningless words, gangs and crews who don’t even know how to use a spray can. This is known as tagging.

Tagging has been put in the same category as graffiti art, although it is not the same.

Tags started out with graffiti art, meaning signing your name on your art so they know who did the masterpiece. It’s a signature much like the ones you see on famous art.

Along came “tag bangers” marking every blank wall to mark their gang territory. Gangs even started tagging over graffiti art as a sign of disrespect.

This has given the art form a bad name. You don’t see historians calling Egyptian hieroglyphics, pictography or any other writing on the wall vandalism.

Graffiti is not only an art but also a message and a story.

Genevieve Perez

Spokane