Get all your news in one place.

100’s of premium titles.
One app.

Start reading

Get all your news in one place.

100’s of premium titles. One news app.

Start reading

Bored Panda

Gabija Saveiskyte

110 Pieces Of “Vandalism” That Only Make Cities More Interesting, As Shared On This Online Group

Rebellion can be an art form. And what's a more 'F You, I Won't Do What You Tell Me' art form than graffiti? It's not simply about 'sticking it to the man,' either – it is a legitimate kind of art. Some of the most famous contemporary artists also dabbled in graffiti and street art, from Keith Haring and Jean Michel-Basquiat to Shepard Fairey and Banksy.

So, this time, we're dedicating some time to explore the depths of graffiti and street art. The community r/Graffiti is a place for enthusiasts and appreciators alike. We've compiled a list of the most fascinating entries and present them to you here.

Below, you will also find our short chat with graffiti artist Uzio. He told Bored Panda more about how graffiti doesn't necessarily have to involve spray paint, how he chooses locations for his artworks, and about how being a graffiti artist doesn't mean you must be an outlaw.

More info: Uzio Art | Instagram | TikTok

#1 Mural Is Intentionally Painted Upside Down To Reflect Right Side Up On The Water

Image credits: reddit.com

The subreddit's title is r/Graffiti, but those with a keen eye will probably notice that many entries on this list are, perhaps, more like pieces of street art than graffiti. What's the difference between the two, you ask?

Columbia University explains the differences. For one, graffiti is word-based, while street art is image-based. Street art is also often commissioned or painted with permission.

Apparently, even the artists sometimes conflate the two and use the terms interchangeably. Lois Stavsky, curator of StreetArtNYC, explains it in more detail: "Graffiti predates street art, and street art draws its inspiration from graffiti." Graffiti artists are most often self-taught.

It's also highly personal – writers use their 'tags' to brand their works. It's also often illegal, but that's where the rebel element of being a graffiti artist comes from. Street artists are often people who have received formal training.

#2 Really Beautiful And Powerful Staitment

Image credits: j3ffr33d0m

#3 @fanakapan Does Some Unreal "Balloon Graff" 3D Realism

Image credits: Grovsey

Graffiti artist Richard September writes in his blog that the difference is also in the audience that the artist is trying to reach. He claims that graffiti artists create their pieces to gain respect and admiration from other graffiti artists. Street artists, on the other hand, use words, images, and symbols to create pieces they hope the public will appreciate.

There are also legal differences, some of which we already discussed above. But let's use some examples: a work of street art could be a mural that the building's owner asked the artist to paint. Graffiti artists "tag their names in public spaces, mostly without permission," September writes. That includes paintings on trains, walls, bridges, etc.

#4 This Street Art Looks Absolutely Insane

Image credits: reddit.com

#5 Vile With Bonus Before Pic

Image credits: boriswong

#6 A Tenniscourt By Jan Is De Man

Image credits: Bierrr

Bored Panda spoke to a graffiti artist and asked him how he chooses the locations for his work. He says that the main thing to consider is how much space is available for the piece.

"I might do a five-letter piece and maybe a character if I have a lot of space to work with," Uzio tells us. "If I don't, I may just do a four-letter piece or just a character. Size plays a big role [in] how big or small your work is on a wall. And if there's a theme at that certain wall, I will follow that theme with my work."

#7 Harriet Tubman Mural Painted On The Side Of A Wall

Image credits: goodlyearth

#8 Graffiti In Some Abandoned Building In Europe By Artist Vile

Image credits: hashamean

#9 Amazing Street Art By Smug In Glasgow

Image credits: langshot

Although Uzio considers himself a graffiti artist, he doesn't do any illegal art pieces. "I mainly do my work legally or [in] places that are secret or no one cares about. So I haven't really had conflicts with authorities yet."

"But I haven't really [been] doing the spray paint side of graffiti for very long, so [I] haven't experienced it all as of yet," the artist admits. "As, at first, I started in the books, drawing on paper for a few years."

#10 Big Paws Kitten Street Art

Image credits: RedBanana99

#11 Some Beautiful Mural Work In Aruba ??

Image credits: reddit.com

#12 This Skeleton Graffiti Is Stunning

Image credits: Guatonomo

You might think: "Then it's not really graffiti, is it? Where's the spice, where's the illegality?" Well, the answer is much more complicated than that. Nowadays, the line between graffiti and street art is often blurry. And some artists might not have a rebellious streak – they just like the art form itself. Some artists choose to do street art illegally, like Banksy and Miss.Tic.

#13 I Just Finished This Mural!

Image credits: mnhaverland

#14 Beautiful Street Art

Image credits: Phlogistoned

#15 Street Art By L7matrix

Image credits: Tosscraft

Let's take Banksy as an example of how complicated this whole thing is. Some describe him as a street artist, some as a graffiti artist. His pieces always appear in places without permission, so that should disqualify him from being a street artist, right? Not really. The whole point of his works is to provoke a response from the public, and that's not usually the aim of graffiti artists.

#16 This Street Art In Berlin

Image credits: NoLimits007

#17 Norway Street Art

Image credits: dittidot

#18 Never Been An Art Fan In My Life. This Street Art By Eduardo Kobra Makes Me Emotional

Image credits: yoyodomino69

Apparently, some graffiti artists also tend to dislike Banksy because of his style. He mainly uses stencils, and some graffiti artists consider that to be a lazy technique. "Simply spraying the back of a stencil cut out isn’t considered skillful in graffiti culture, as it requires no can control – so 'true' graffiti artists tend to avoid this style," September writes in his blog.

#19 The Big Graffiti On This Factory In Hämeenlinna Finland

Image credits: JJnnYY

#20 Abandoned Ddr Hospital Near Berlin, Germany

Image credits: yoschii97

#21 There Is A Ton Of Work In Eastern Market, Downtown Detroit. This Is One Of My Favorites

Image credits: NoemaTheory

Now, in 2024, graffiti doesn't seem like such a rebellious act, does it? We see it in mainstream branding and advertising (think Shepard Fairey and his OBEY clothing company) all the time. That's why graffiti artists often work with branding and advertising agencies who are looking for fresh and edgy ways to capture their audience's attention.

#22 Some Impressive Pieces By Pichiavo (Duo Of Artists From Valencia, Spain)

Image credits: The--Weasel

#23 An Artist Surprised A Man With A Mural Where He Loves To Sit

Image credits: slob-on-mi-knob

#24 Impressive Snake Mural On A Staircase

Image credits: bsurfn2day

A veteran graffiti artist, CRASH, believes that although the art form is becoming more and more mainstream, the exposure has more positives than negatives. "Facebook and Instagram really changed the game because it gives everyone the opportunity to see something that they normally wouldn't see," CRASH told Tango Hotel.

#25 Amazing Aches Graffiti Hat Mimic Rgb Displays

Image credits: ElCaza89

#26 Cool Street Art

Image credits: Phlogistoned

#27 Somewhere In Czech Republic

Image credits: reddit.com

"If I had painted a wall somewhere in 1980, only the local people would know about it. Today, I could do something in Singapore, and someone in the Bronx, or New Jersey, or California could see it. It opens up the world and makes it smaller in a way, which I think is great because it's all about the conversation."

#28 Praying Mantis (Artist: Odeith, Portugal)

Image credits: The--Weasel

#29 Fox Meets Fox Mural In London (Photo: Matthew Maran)

Image credits: earthmoonsun

#30 Street Art In France

Image credits: goodlyearth

The artist also doesn't think that graffiti has lost its rebellious trait. "I've been doing [graffiti] for almost 40 years. I don't think it has lost its identity. I think it's become more mainstream, but it still has an edge. We still have issues getting into museums because of what we do, so that rebellious nature that's in the artwork holds us back a little, but also gives us the opportunity to say things that [we] couldn't say."