Graffiti's Biggest Sell-Outs

Banksy and Shepard Fairy are world’s two best-known graffiti artists. They have become wildly popular and are working to erase the divide between fine art and street art. Unfortunately, with this comes accusations from street art fans who believe they’ve sold out.
What makes graffiti, graffiti is the condition in which it is made; it is illegal, largely looked down upon, and followed by few. Its an exclusive club, with its own language, techniques, and hero’s. In the beginning these artists weren’t known, paid, or encouraged, and what makes the work so enthralling it that because of how hard it is to do on a large scale the artist must really stand behind what they’re doing and believe in it.

It is odd seeing these artists juxtaposed with the fine art world- a world that these artists originally mocked, and whos art was once thoroughly rejected. What was once painted over is now being sold for thousands -Banksy’s work even made a cameo in the blockbuster film Children on Men. The art world, in all its ugliness and hypocrisy, does bring with it fame and fortune and acceptance, and for those street art die-hards out there who feel a little abandoned its understandable, but why else is graffiti made if not to spread a message to the public. If seen buy no one what good is tagging a side of a building or wheat pasting up images? If the art world is going to use you, why not use the art world? Graffiti artists should put them selves out there, Graffiti is a new and exciting artistic media, with elements of performance art as well as great political implication. With hype also comes new ways for young artists to see what’s out there are bring it to a whole new level.
So now that Banksy and Shepard Fairy are being paid by anyone who can afford them to paint or print on whatever they like- we should let go of the comfortable exclusiveness and appreciate the level of respect they are allowing to the graffiti world.