Graffiti in China – Chinese Graffiti?

Abstract

This article focuses on the emergence of graffiti in Beijing and Shanghai as an intriguing part of the contemporary art scene. Approaching graffiti through the framework of visual culture and analyzing both the visual and social aspects of creating graffiti images, I argue that contemporary graffiti in these cities can be regarded primarily as creative self-expression emphasizing aesthetic intention and a renaming process, not as vandalism. Deriving primarily from information gathered during my fieldwork in Beijing and Shanghai, I also discuss the development of graffiti in China and its characteristics. In the Euro-American context, graffiti is still commonly regarded as criminal activity that destroys public property. This allegation, however, fails to take into account how the international graffiti culture has become an enduring genre of art with strong emphasis on style and aesthetic evaluation. Although creating graffiti is a controversial issue in China also, graffiti nevertheless exists, especially in the so-called art areas (districts known for their numerous art galleries, artist studios, art-related activities and, occasionally, art museums), or in the surrounding neighbourhoods.

“People want good graffiti”: Tensions, contradictions, and everyday politics surrounding graffiti in Hanoi, Vietnam

“…Investigations of graffiti and contested uses of public space in contemporary China (Pan, 2015), Hong Kong (Valjakka, 2010), and Singapore (Chang, 2018) complement these findings by highlighting important citizen-state dynamics. Pan (2015) finds a less confrontational attitude towards graffiti in China than in the West.…”

Street Art: A Reply to Riggle

“…This is the case of street art in mainland China. In that context, urban styles generally associated with street art (for example, graffiti, stencil‐graffiti, and so on) are “toothless” (Volodzko ; see also Valjakka ). Afraid of repercussions, artists intentionally avoid creating controversial pieces.…”

“…Moreover, the abundance of concrete surfaces that are free from advertising makes it easy for them to create art in the city without interfering with commercial uses of public space (Thibault ). Finally, traditional practices of wall writings have made Chinese people indifferent to graffiti and less likely to see them as disrupting common uses of public spaces (Valjakka ; Pan ). Deprived of their subversiveness, “urban styles” are merely a fashionable trend in Chinese mainstream art (Valjakka ; Lally ).…”

“…Finally, traditional practices of wall writings have made Chinese people indifferent to graffiti and less likely to see them as disrupting common uses of public spaces (Valjakka ; Pan ). Deprived of their subversiveness, “urban styles” are merely a fashionable trend in Chinese mainstream art (Valjakka ; Lally ). Zhang Dali, allegedly the first street artist in China, has denounced this metamorphosis.…”

Negotiating spatial politics: Site-responsive urban art images in mainland China

“… 16. Minna Valjakka, Graffiti in China – Chinese graffiti?, Copenhagen Journal of Asian Studies 29(1), 2011: 61–91. Lu Pan, Who is occupying the wall and street: Graffiti and urban spatial politics in contemporary China, Continuum: Journal of Media & Cultural Studies 28(1), 2014: 145–9. …”