I've been torn between not posting about this news article about a local artist facing the law, and making a massive point of talking about it. Better to say something than nothing at all. Here goes:
On one hand, I think we have certain social constructs that repress artists (laws, people's opinions of what art actually is, art being faced with the task of being marketable etc etc) and it should never be an outright crime to write uninvited on walls. There are a gigantic amount of artists out there in the city that are talented, that can contribute beauty to Bristol, and do so on a regular basis. I don't believe that painting somewhere you shouldn't is necessarily a bad thing, it's all about the context of art vs the surroundings, and there are few moments where it doesn't work for me. These are our cities, and everyone should get their fair turn.
On the other hand, this guy has proved why there are laws out there in the first place, and why people are of the opinion that it's socially destructive behaviour. Indiscriminate tagging, no respect for the city around him, no creativity, no talent, no clue. There's no artform in pissing on history, no artform in preventing someone from reading a bus timetable, and he's given everyone else a bad name by behaving in the way that he does. For every public action that celebrates street art and keeps it socially minded, socially beneficial, there's another that sets us all back.
Dotcom, Norm, Daniel Tyndale, whatever - I'm glad you didn't get sent to jail for this, because this is never ever ever an act that deserves jail time. Save that for people who damage lives beyond repair. But I'm glad you've been given some time to meditate on your actions. You not only represent yourself but you represent everyone else on the scene, and you're bringing shame down on everyone, whether they paint legally, illegally or just make stuff to sell in the galleries. Restraint is a good thing, especially when your tagging sucks and you're not learning from your mistakes. At some point, I hope you realise this.
