ON ILLEGAL ARTS:
The video talks about illegal art and all of the implications attached to it. As the host says, art in unauthorized places is something that happens worldwide and is almost impossible to stop. Artists can post their pieces of art for several reasons, from making a political statement to just expressing their unique thoughts. In the video we can see the process of organizing a movement in which many people are united to expand the art of only one artist, we get to see how the police are introduced and how they take action, we get to see the adversity these artists face; It is truly fascinating to see the lengths some people are willing to go to convey an idea to their own community through these art pieces.
But, when does the spreading of what is considered street art turn into something that can ultimately harm a community?
In the video we can also see how much power the street art can possess. The video lets us take a look at how gang tags (which fundamentally are considered street art) can impact a community to a degree where it can bring unwanted reactions from certain people. We see how the people in charge to cover up these tags worry because they understand that this particular art has some territorial connotations that can lead to violent reactions from rival gangs. These artistic expressions are so powerful that can bring these kinds of consequences to any place in the world.
Another example that proves that street art has a lot more power than people think it does is how art done by some women even though it is not intended to be serious or political it has a connotation of subversion. In the video we can see how the host is able to talk to a group of women who do street art and do it because they simply have a passion for the aesthetic of it. However, they understand and state that they know even though they do not mean to be controversial they are because it challenges the idea that only men are proficient in this kind of art.
Alejandro Ocampo 