Grafitti in Warsaw

What is it with all the grafitti in Warsaw??

Where there are kids....there's graffitti. That's like asking why there's graffitti in NYC. It's prob mostly anti communist like "Niszcz czerwonych" or sth. I think that much of it relates to the "rap" culture as it does in most places.

Because its hiphop, wickedcool yo.

At least the graitti is better than in Dublin "Deco waz ere" or " Jessy luvs pete".

seen some good graff in the 3M over the years... some of it quite banksiesque rather than just mindless mess... although there is plenty of that too

Graffiti is a form of art, plebean for some, art nevertheless. Isn't the New York subway covered with graffitti?

In some areas. Not as bad as it used to be. You'd have to walk through the tunnles to see some good work. They try to keep it clean....no where near the way it looked in the 80's

graff seems to be falling into different categories now - theres urban art and street art which gets displayed in trendy london galleries and bought by saatchi and that other fellow, saatchi for huge amounts of money... then theres the traditional graff done by young and not so young boys who sometimes fall under trains

some guy sold a banksy done on his house wall for something like 1/4 million sovs on ebay... then some little tyke came along and sprayed over it

luvin it

Is there any graffiti about Serbs in Warsawa our beloved Sarmatian Capitol :)

don`t tell me if you have bad news. Tell me something nice for good evening, delude me ;)

it is a good excuse to visit, research work or something like that;)

sure

This about graffits reminded me on my holiday in Spain once, Madrid

there was one graffit (on English) on the wall close to night bar. I remembered that very well- ``gentlemans always prefer blondes``

I entered inside, in night bar. On the podium, light heired girls, nice, in cages. I asked barmen from where are girls (no matter that had idea). Barmen just said: best Slavic blondes, gave me cola with rum that i asked for, looked at me like that he wants to convince me how girls are good and he added, from Russia, Estonia, Poland. I didn`t say anything. Whole thing suddenly was disgusting to me. Then, I reminded myself on that graffit outside, turn around me, sow gypsy faces, didn`t finish my drink

I've seen some Serbian graffiti in... Malta. I guess it was some nationalist one, for I saw a 'Serbian cross' or whatever-you-call-it there.

Yes, there is considerable grafitti in NYC, but it doesn't seem to be as pervasive as in Warsaw. However, it looks as though the churches and government buildings are spared. Perhaps it is a way for the people to let off some steam, in a non-violent way. Possibly, the "taggers" could go on strike periodically while there work is cleaned up. Everyone else seems to be on strike for something. It must be a national pastime.

i was lead to believe that during the communist era, one of the only true ways of self expression was artistically - be it music, dance or art itself - prolific graff may just be a continuation of this - as i noted, much of what i see in 3M has artistic merit rather than just tagging

if you can more precisely describe what you sow i would tell you what was that (have an idea, there is one ancient Slavic/Sarmatian symbol, dedicated to light, solar symbol, that Serbs like to use).

I wish it was. Newly formed government is dealing with the stuff the previous government had not dealt with.

Bonhams recently had a sale of Banksy's work. The prices were crazy -

Sorry, I don't remember. But they might've been some football slogans :)

My neighbourhood is the backdrop to some of Banky's stuff (plus plenty of fake Banksy wannabes)

ah, its not that

unfortunately it's art on somebody else's canvas, selected by bravado rather than artistic merit and the viewing public have no choice but to wander through the gallery.

Where I live, in an expensive district of Warsaw, every wall that isn't protected is covered in scrawled grafitti. Even though the penalties for doing it in poland are high (up to 5 years in gaol and the cost of repainting the building). I used to sometimes, on boring tram journeys, close my eyes then open them again and start counting the seconds until I saw some grafitti. In Warsaw I never got as far as 10.

The crazy thing is, in 10 years in Poland, I've never seen anybody actually doing it, even though some of the more complex scrawls must take some time...

Grafitti is not art. Its ****. If those ******** repected other peoples property then it would be art.

kids need to be beaten more

They can put them in jail if they find them doing such things here in NYC. It's a disrespectful act if you are invading someone else's property. That's call vandalism! People should learn how to differ the right from wrong and do the right thing which is drawing the graffiti in papers, posters or whatever there is, but owned by them.

It doesn't have to be on other peoples property .......and murals are considered art. People buy it and they have galleries.

Who are you to say what is or isn't art?

A lot ofgrafitti is quite bad. Often purile and damaging to other people's property.
On the other hand, sometimes it can actually be quite good.
Banksy has been in the news quite a lot recently. An example of a true artist.
Aslo, when dealing with words, grafitti is not always about childish rudeness. I quite like a situationist slogan or two here and there.

My sentiments entirely. Bring back the birch. Or introduce the rattan (as in Singapore)! That'll teach the stupid little sods.

What these little swine don't realize is that they are destroying the very fabric of society, making old ladies scared to go out in their own neighbourhood, uglifying an already ugly post-communist landscape.

Thank gawd there's less of it than there was a few years back. I suspect a lot of the little buggers have gone to work in Wrexham, and are getting beaten up by the Welsh. Good riddance to them.

Yeah vandalizing people's property is not art...it is vandalism...a crime and stupid.

If some killer makes clothes out of the skin of his victims ala Silence of the Lambs is that art? Nope.


The guy who's property the vandals decide will be their canvas.

Real artists would have more respect for others.

I can't speak for Polish grafitti, and I agree that there is a such a blurry line concerning grafitti as art, but in America a lot of these taggers don't have a chance to express themselves artistically, grafitti is the one way they can create. I live in Los Angeles and I'm often taken aback by the beauty and originality of some of the work. It's easy to say all grafitti is rubbish, but consider the purpose and intent before you make blanket statements about the subjective world of art. Great art was never meant to have "respect for others," it is to challenge and push boundaries and that includes canvases. Most of these artists were denied the means to express themselves in the critic's "traditional" ways because they weren't deemed intelligent or refined enough, so this is the result. Also, comparing spray painting a bridge with mass murder and sexual perversion is irresponsible and wrong.

OK...post your address here and I will try and get some guys to go spray paint your home.

You ok with that?

Damaging other people's stuff is a crime and wrong. You call me irresponsible yet you defend vandals...clearly you are confused.

There is an interesting saying, that goes something like "you are a liberal-left winger until you buy your first property, then you become an ultra-conservative."

When someone spraypaints the wall of your home with an ugly tag or football slogan for the tenth time, then you understand how true this saying is....

Cane their behinds until they're raw, preferably in public....

What a shame Poland is such a sissy country when it comes to corporal punishment. It would reduce the prison population instantly and at very little cost. And the ugly streets of this forlorn country would be that little bit less rundown and more acceptable...