There can’t be many readers out there, whether aficionados of art, socially enlightened, or the well-informed and ‘acquainted’ who haven’t heard of Banksy – London’s famed street artist extraordinaire and political activist. But this is not an article about a globally acclaimed cultural genius, yet rather a humble observation of cheap copycats and hopeless wannabees who seriously confuse urban art for sad rubbish!
Some time ago, I wrote an article about the growing concerns in Mallorca over gratuitous graffiti, which continues to spread like a pointless plague, not only throughout our wonderful capital city of Palma, but across the entire island. It was an article defending private, often impressive buildings, monuments, natural stone walls and open spaces against being defaced by a small contingent of morons who think by spraying their initials everywhere gives them a few seconds of respect and fame within their ‘pond life’ society, a growing culture which apparently applauds this kind of senseless vandalism as heroic! No way would a seriously credited urban artist like Banksy approve of such trash!
What on earth is heroic about shaking a spray can of paint and defacing an innocent building or wall with illegible initials, or ‘tags’ as these pathetic hoodies like to call them. Animals urinate to mark their presence. Delinquents and those who totally disrespect the community and environment of others, maliciously ‘tag!’
Palma has long declared its fight against gratuitous graffiti, yet to date the problem seems to be escalating, and if anything, becoming worse. So what exactly is being done? I think the answer is clear. Nothing!!! Wake up Palma, this is getting beyond serious!
It saddens me to see stone-built walls, installations in parks and community areas, along with new buildings being erected, knowing that it’s only a question of time before they are defaced by senseless, small-minded sprayers who hold nothing sacred. We have rights too! Don’t we? Well, apparently not according to these random ‘graffiti sprayers’ who seem intent on turning our world into their own – an apocalyptic video game scenario where everything of beauty is destroyed and covered in ‘ugly’, meaningless, self-indulgent scribble.
I will never understand what motivates delinquents to randomly deface public spaces. They are not even anti-establishment anarchists with anything politically interesting to say. They are just pointless individuals with spray cans. In Singapore, there is a zero-tolerance policy in place against graffiti hooligans with recorded incidents of those foolish enough to dare deface their cleanest of cities. The punishment for graffiti vandalism is up to six months imprisonment plus a public caning, which entails several well aimed strokes across a naked bottom from a stout, rattan cane.
Surprisingly, few hooligans attempt such mindless vandalism in Singapore as they realise that the law there actually delivers, and the advertised punishment is not merely a hollow threat to scoff at. Of course, there will always be those ‘lobbyists’ who throw up their arms in horror at such punishing control, and support antiestablishmentarianism, thus embracing pointless graffiti as a valid right!
Possibly, the most famously reported case on record is of an 18 year old American citizen who decided to spray paint a few cars in Singapore just for a laugh. A pointless prank which backfired when he was caught, sparking a minor yet international incident. The USA embassy protested, saying the punishment was barbaric and requested leniency for their foolhardy citizen. But Singapore wouldn’t back down. And why should they? The young culprit knew exactly what he was doing, and totally aware of the consequences. He took the calculated risk, so it’s no good crying when you’re caught, is it? And I believe he did cry, like a little baby when he was publicly caned, much to his shame, for his deliberate defiance of the law.
Singapore has rigid, cultural values which means that when the law says don’t so something, they really mean, ‘DON’T DO IT!’ I think Mallorca needs to toughen up with these graffiti vandals and make a few examples before they completely cover the island with their senseless ‘stamps’. Public caning might seem a little harsh, but believe me, the juvenile gang culture behind these inane sprayings do a lot worse to each other when they are ‘disrespected’ by their rivals.
However, ‘senseless vandalism’ should never be confused with true ‘urban art’, which is considered by some to be progressive, and in the right place transforms an inactive hoarding or wall into a decorative and attractive art-piece. Most genuine urban artists don’t identify with the low-life ‘tag’ sprayers, who knowingly disrespect their talented street art and deface anything with random splatterings – the mark of a spoilt and disrespectful youth cult seeking some kind of misplaced attention. Parents take note! Does your innocent child own a secret collection of spray cans? If the answer is ‘yes’, then take a moment to ask them why? If they are not running a current automobile ‘body shop’ repair business, then the chances are they are out there spraying their tags everywhere and contributing to the current graffiti problem ruining our island. Just saying!