The Politics of Street Art
by Katie, October.27.2008
There’s a message being scribbled on the crumbling walls that line the streets in parts of New Delhi. C215, an artist from Paris, has something to say and is making his statement on the streets of New Delhi, Sao Paulo, Tel Aviv, Warsaw, Venice: life is hard; there are people in need; there are people in pain. The juxtaposition of the images with the dilapidated surfaces on which they are painted is an unmistakable slap in the face. Wake up and look around at the world around and at the people who are suffering in it!
The placement of many of the stencils shows a connection between the image and its environment, bringing a stark realism to the work: a boy looking through a rusted gate, a child trapped behind metal security bars, an old woman squatting next to a pile of rubble. They beg the question: are these characters victims of war, poverty or both? What does it matter if the outcome is the same?
