There have been a few surprises here in Germany for me. I was caught off guard at the high cost of living, for one. If their is anything I've found truly surprising is the prevalence of grafitti everywhere. And what is really surprising is the quality of the artistry!
Now we've all seen the variety of grafitti all over America. Most of it really is of poor quality, much of it being gang symbols and marks. The closest thing I've encountered to gangs here in Europe was a couple of young teenage boys on the local trolley. Dressed in the current gang attire, with baggy pants, bandanas, and hats worn sideways, they were listening to hip hop as they sat. My first thought was, "you two wouldn't last two seconds in South Central (Los Angeles)." Of course, it would occur to anyone that a 'drive-by' would be a bit tough from a trolley!
So, without the gang grafitti, the art is quite good, and apparently tolerated. Bright, colorful, cartoon-like, serious, beautiful, frightening, realistic, graphic - it's all there. And unlike in the States, though, there seems to be a sense of discipline with grafittists here that American "practitionists" lack. Trains roll by here generally unscarred by "spray bomb," though solitary buildings, walls, posts, and the like are mostly covered and 'tagged'. Some efforts are made by owners to clean and repaint vandalized areas, but as in America, the efforts are mostly useless. I saw a building that had had construction completed one day, and was completely covered by grafitti within two days!
The biggest shock was the discovery in Old Heidelberg of a grafitti store! This shop had clothing, and mostly spray paint cans of nearly every color! It was an amazing display of acceptable vandalism!
Only in Germany, I guess!
What is an EXTREMIST?
8 years ago
