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A dialogue of street art with the ‘outside world’
By Corina Nani (West University of Timisoara Faculty of Arts and Design) and

Liliana Harding (University of East Anglia, School of Economics)

Dilemma 1: What prejudices does street art encounter?

CN: This is a very complex question. Rather, we should ask: ‘Exactly, what is the bias we are facing here?’ We
can argue that that this is a question for theoreticians of culture or for art historians, or for specific artists. First, there
is always a debate about the fine line between art and vandalism, about the difference between graffiti and street art,
about street art with its complex texture - contradictory, conflictual. In conclusion, there are always opposing things
to consider. And behold, everyone gets terrified! ‘Boys with sprays’, under the guise of anonymity are reacting yet
protesting, expansively, almost exhibitionist, in a creative way. We need to admit that every young man in the world
can go and makes a graffiti. And there's a strong bias against them; perhaps no one likes them. All over the world there
are campaigns against graffiti. The fact that cultural manifestations begin to migrate from the intimate space of the
workshop and academic institutions to the urban space, to the collective space, means that the phenomenon captures
the public as a whole, who gets involved in the whole creative process. So the phenomenon has hardly earned his art
status. It gradually migrated from its vandalism status to a manifest and artistic current

The typical reaction is: ‘Ah! Graffiti!’ in reaction to a street art project. Everybody seems to ‘know’ about street
art, or urban art. Then it turns out that they might be familiar with the concept, but perhaps do not know the concept,
the real power, the true value of street art. At this moment art might be said to be in delicate position, because art
itself is constantly encompassing more and more things. Then, there are many interesting ideas in the arts that cannot

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