Street ART

Story and photos by Beth Gallup

Google Arts and Culture says street art is a 21st century phenomenon. Clearly, accessing databases ignorant to what a cycling trip through a former outpost of the Roman Empire will remind you: art on buildings, not in buildings, has a long history. Sometimes, as a form of propaganda.

As I stood under an example, I wondered in a CARFAC kind of way, “Were the artists paid?” More likely, the skilled concrete workers who shaped the figures were enslaved, forced to depict Centurions crushing their friends and colleagues.

I especially like the message in this second example.

Riding through countryside from town to city meant my timing was at odds with the hours of the curated art world. Thankfully, alleys, underpasses, and public spaces in not-the-nicest neighbourhoods featured often-engaging scenes. I was thankful to soak up the creative energy I found in these surroundings.

One of my friends, an affluent interior designer, was in Arles, France just before I pedalled through. Their experience of the city was completely different than mine. They saw famous works in known museums, big names in reputable galleries.

Comparing notes, I showed them photos of what I discovered on the walls near my 2-star hotel. They were intrigued, interested, genuinely disappointed on missing out.  Listening with surprise, I realized they felt insulated by their 5-star experience. They had mixed feelings about the highly curated art they'd been guided to see. 

Their reaction made me ponder, again, “where” as a form of art world gate-keeping. How many times have you answered, “Where do you show your work?” What would the jury’s or gallery’s reaction be if you said, “Currently, you’ll find my most interesting, accessible work on the abandoned building near my studio”?

And yet, exterior walls, as a support, are very democratic. Street art welcomes, and reaches whomever walks by, at any time.  Including, if strategically placed in the right location, influencers, and collectors genuinely intrigued by what is happening outside of credentialed spaces.