Fondation Cartier in Paris is hosting a major exhibition on graffiti art opening this week, including works by Bronx-born graffiti star Koor.
Born in the South Bronx and now based in Brussels, graffiti and rap artist Koor is living proof that street art has gone global, no longer just for urban walls but also canvasses in art galleries, collectors’ homes and even museums. AFPTV spends a day with Koor in the not-so-mean streets of the Belgian capital.
Graffiti and graffito are from the Italian word graffiato (“scratched”). “Graffiti” is applied in art history to works of art produced by scratching a design into a surface. A related term is “graffito,” which involves scratching through one layer of pigment to reveal another beneath it. This technique was primarily used by potters who would glaze their wares and then scratch a design into it. In ancient times graffiti was carved on walls with a sharp object, although sometimes chalk or coal were used. The Greek infinitive γράφειν – graphein – meaning “to write,” is from the same root.
One cannot help but wonder what is the price tag of public proprty defaced by graffiti “artists”.
Take a look at the video below.
http://www.thenewsroom.com/mash/swf/cube.swf?a=V3679607&m=874374
