Iran Graffiti and Urban Art Report
June 15, 2007 11:42 PM Subscribe
As I mentioned before, I was out in this tiny, rural village in the desert in Syria and somebody had tagged "50 cent" on a wall.
The implications of that were staggering to me. First of all, despite the best efforts of an oppressive regime, American consumer culture was still seeping through the cracks, also the Syrian government wouldn't have been pleased either (that was a joke kids). Additionally, this guy who was basically a member of the underclass of America had literally risen to the status of global household name.
posted by Pollomacho at 7:27 AM on June 18, 2007
The implications of that were staggering to me. First of all, despite the best efforts of an oppressive regime, American consumer culture was still seeping through the cracks, also the Syrian government wouldn't have been pleased either (that was a joke kids). Additionally, this guy who was basically a member of the underclass of America had literally risen to the status of global household name.
posted by Pollomacho at 7:27 AM on June 18, 2007
despite the best efforts of an oppressive regime, American consumer culture was still seeping through the cracks
This is what struck me the most about all this urban art. I absolutely love that youth/underground cultures around the world are taking a page from the "oldschool" American underground. Graffiti was such a powerful voice of dissent, especially in late 70's/early 80's NYC. Looking at it the other way, it's a lot easier for Americans to relate to a youth culture struggling in very much the same way they did a very short time ago—and that much harder to dismiss the other aspects of a society that seem so foreign.
posted by carsonb at 6:38 PM on June 18, 2007
This is what struck me the most about all this urban art. I absolutely love that youth/underground cultures around the world are taking a page from the "oldschool" American underground. Graffiti was such a powerful voice of dissent, especially in late 70's/early 80's NYC. Looking at it the other way, it's a lot easier for Americans to relate to a youth culture struggling in very much the same way they did a very short time ago—and that much harder to dismiss the other aspects of a society that seem so foreign.
posted by carsonb at 6:38 PM on June 18, 2007
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posted by carsonb at 11:43 PM on June 15, 2007