Graffiti - The Bronx vs. Williamsburg

Sometimes I take train through the South Bronx when I do fieldwork with my job, evaluating arts education programs. As I look outside the subway I notice the graffiti. It adds colors to the neutral landscape of concrete, brick and metal fire escapes. I started documenting some of the graffiti I see, but not only because I like the way it looks. It's also because of the stark contrast between the graffiti in the Bronx and the graffiti in my neighborhood, Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

There are some similarities. Both areas do have murals on the walls. However, the murals in the bronx are usually for a specific institution such as a school (below, left) or store. I found one piece done for a store in Williamsburg as well (below, right).

The walls in the Bronx are mostly filled with tags. Some are are easy to read and others take more effort. Some tags are just writing and some are colored for more emphasis. I noticed that the tags I saw along the 4 train line were interesting to read. As in the photo below, they said things like, "Mute" or "Sad". Other photos I took also included tags such as "Melo", "Piff", "Easy." The words reflect the culture in the South Bronx. Meanwhile, the graffiti in Williamsburg was much more illustrative. There are characters and images that look like more traditional paintings. The graffiti in Williamsburg represents the culture of the neighborhood as well.

When I compare the graffiti, it both seems to be generated from a mutual interest of self-expression. For me, I think both are attractive to look at, but I can also see that the graffiti in Williamsburg as something that would be more respected by society due to the style. I think about how hip-hop was born in the Bronx, but then the graffiti in Williamsburg feels more sophisticated in relation to societal norms of viewing art. When I see the contrast I think of the contrast in class and education between the two neighborhoods and how it's reflected in the graffiti. The graffiti artists in Williamsburg may have innate illustrative talent, but I also wonder whether they are more likely to have an education background that included a higher level of visual art instruction. We all know that the education of children in the South Bronx, in and out of school, does not compare to the level of education among the residents of gentrified Williamsburg. I think this would be a great photo study to explore because of these reasons.