AreaOne Urban Journal

I receive many messages from people who are annoyed by the fact that I do not know the difference between Street Art and Graffiti. My response is that I am not really concerned because my aim is to photograph what is happening on the streets and then allow visitors to this site the opportunity to make their own judgements regarding classification and quality.

My understanding is that traditional graffiti artists have primarily used free-hand aerosol paints to produce their works, "street art" encompasses many other media and techniques, including:  mosaic tiling, murals, stencil art, sticker art, street installations, video projection.

Traditional graffiti also has increasingly been adopted as a method for advertising and I have no problem with that providing that it offers opportunities to earn a living.

Street art is a label often adopted those who wish to keep their work unaffiliated and/or strongly political. 

Street artists are those whose work is still largely done without official approval in public areas.