A brief look at the political influence of street art. Reprinted by Active Distribution.
Today street art is associated with figures such as Banksy and Shepard Fairy
who have amassed huge fame and great fortunes from the trendy 'new'
phenomenon. In this context most people would probably agree street art has a
difficult job aiding anti-capitalist movements due to the way in which it has
become readily commodified. The term 'street art' has only became widespread
in the last couple of decades when clever capitalists realised the potential value
of this age old form of subversive communication. Street art has been used in
revolution throughout history and can be a useful tool for the oppressed to
utilise. In order to use street art to our advantage it may be more helpful if we
look to past examples which were relatively free from the commercial aspect we
see today.