Graffiti and street art: Creative practices amid 'corporatization' and 'corporate appropriation'

Abstract

Innovations in practice and new subcultural dynamics in graffiti and street art have generated a range of novel dilemmas. This chapter introduces and draws attention to one such dilemma: the tensions that accompany being caught between corporatization and corporate appropriation. The possible market value of graffiti and street art have increasingly been recognized and exploited in recent years. While some graffiti writers and street artists have certainly been the beneficiaries of this process, it is also the case that graffiti and street art are often appropriated by corporate interests. In such instances, graffiti and street art may play a significant role in generating profit, but this does not guarantee that the initial creative producers will reap any financial rewards. This has led some graffiti writers and street artists to call on the law to protect their interests, a strategy that would have appeared unthinkable in the early days of graffiti writing culture.