Politically inspired street art performs many roles. It may be regarded as an art object with aesthetic value, a form of public service, or a one-person or group provocation. That’s why many classify it as controversial art, with a tiny line separating political murals from vandalism. Such a reception of street art has also caused many popular murals to be destroyed and overpainted, preventing future generations from tracing the evolution of socio-political self-expression of local communities through art.
Why do street artists explore political themes?
A quick look at the history of street art is enough to see that this art style emerged as a voice for marginalized groups and state critics. Street artists covered their faces to disguise their identities and paint provocative messages in public spaces, raising attention to muted socio-political and cultural issues. Some examples include Chicano art in the streets of Mexico, born out of political struggle, and the “Faces of the Favela” project in Brazil.
Banksy at the vanguard of controversial art
Street art often challenges mainstream media versions of events and offers rebellious, thought-provoking images for consideration. Yet, a street art figure with unrivaled mastery of politically inspired street art is definitely Banksy. His Migrant Child (2015) mural in Calais drew public attention to the overlooked dimension of human suffering in the refugee crisis, and the Syria mural inspired active debates about hypocrisy and the commercialization of civil wars. Many other murals by Banksy bear a clear political message, from civil protest suppression to disregard to alarming environmental damages.
How do governments respond to political art?
While controversial art painted on a canvas belongs to the realm of private property and cannot be easily destroyed, things are different for street art. The main legal issue with street murals is their creation on public or governmental property, which gives local authorities full discretion on what to do with murals. That’s why many thought-provoking works by world-famous artists get destroyed quickly, like in the case of Banksy’s Brexit mural in Dover. While it received a wide positive acclaim, unknown individuals painted it over quite promptly, raising rumors about the government’s desire to mute the critical voices.
A similar event happened in Hong Kong, where protest murals were quickly destroyed by local authorities to control public sentiment. That’s why one can conclude that while street art persists, the ease of labeling it as vandalism makes its destruction, especially in politically challenging situations, very easy for local power structures.