Many consider graffiti a nuisance, but to some it is a fine art. An exhibit showcasing graffiti as art is coming to the University this Friday.
The Art of Defiance, which is put on by the Cultural Forum, will bring the work of three Eugene graffiti artists into a gallery setting in an effort to break down the negative ideas surrounding graffiti and help shed light on the art method. It will take place at the Adell McMillan Gallery next to the Ballroom in the EMU.
Moving the artwork into the gallery serves other purposes as well. Since graffiti is mostly painted illegally on train cars and buildings, having the show in a gallery setting allows the artists to really conceptualize and develop their ideas. It will also allow viewers to absorb and ponder the work rather than just rushing by it as they would in public.
The exhibit was created as part of an effort recently taken to establish graffiti art as legitimate artwork. One of the most important artists in this movement is the graffiti artist Banksy. He is a British graffiti artist who uses his stenciled spray paintings to discuss issues of politics, culture and ethics. His paintings have gained enormous popularity and have helped push graffiti into the mainstream.
One of the artists in the show is greatly influenced by Banksy. Jacob Hutchins first encountered graffiti while attending community college and was so moved by the art form that he decided to begin making it himself. Since then he has covered surfaces with his art throughout Oregon and Washington.
The second artist, Zack Wilkins Malloy, is an art history major at the University and was the 2007 winner of the Mayor’s Choice Award in the Eugene Mayor’s Art Show. He was inspired to begin making graffiti by seeing the impressive works in his home town of Berkeley, Calif. The Berkeley area created some of the most talented graffiti artists during the ’80s and ’90s while Malloy was growing up, so he had plenty of work to build from.
The third artist has been making graffiti for more than 20 years throughout the country. Jon Bosch now does only commissions and legal projects, like the one at the University, but he got his start illegally painting trains and walls like most other graffiti artists.
The Art of Defiance will have an opening reception on Friday, April 4 from 6 to 9 p.m., at the Adell McMillan Gallery. The reception will feature music as well as an opportunity to see the artists at work. The show will run through April 26.
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