Although graffiti is often regarded as a form of vandalism rather than a work of art, graffiti artists argue that they are forced to resort to painting illegally as a result of a denial by authorities to provide sufficient legal spaces to paint.
See pictures of the graffiti mural at Across the Tracks 2006:
Graffiti gallery > |
Pryme and Era from Burnley, members of the Trans-Pennine Nomad graffiti crew, feel strongly that government doesn't do enough to accommodate graffiti art. Both artists have been practising since the 1980s, and convey clearly the feeling that it is the lack of dialogue, and the lack of cooperation between graffiti writers and government authorities that leads to graffiti being tarred with the same brush as anti-social behaviour.
 | | Graffiti mural at Across the Tracks |
"We should have more legal walls, then we'd probably get less graffiti on the streets, that's all they need to do." This is how Era would like to see the 'problem' of graffiti solved. Pryme sees hypocrisy in the way that some councils approach graffiti, claiming that "They encourage graffiti – they're actually teaching kids how to do graffiti in youth clubs, but not actually supplying somewhere to paint." Rightly or wrongly, graffiti artists' desire to paint can often overwhelm any desire to abide by anti-vandalism (and often anti-trespass) laws. But if there were more legal spaces to paint, would the days of illegal graffiti writing come to an end? Not likely, says Pryme, but it would certainly reduce it and he reasons that "If they supply legal walls to paint, and then people still want to paint walls outside of that, and get caught – then throw the book at them." Graffiti continues to polarise opinion – graffiti artists want to be able paint, whereas it is the aim of environmentalists and community campaigners to have streets that are clean, respectable and graffiti-free. The Keep Britain Tidy campaign website estimates that graffiti costs the UK over £1 billion per year in clean-up costs, making graffiti seem like something of an expensive hobby. A hard line approach to graffiti by 'the establishment' may prove to be counter-productive, driving graffiti writers further underground. When 123 MPs signed up to endorse the Keep Britain Tidy anti-graffiti campaign, their letter of support opened with the line that 'Graffiti is not art – it's crime'. But, contrastingly, perhaps if the graffiti artists were to write a letter of their own about graffiti, they'd begin it with the line 'Graffiti is not crime – it's art.' | 
