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Guerilla art is
the surreptitious, and often sudden, creation or installation of
unauthorized public art, often with the purpose of making an overt political
statement. The term is
often used interchangably with "street art". Guerilla art
consists of reclaiming space and changing its dynamics with images or
counter images, art that has been created anonymously and left on walls or
in places such as public squares. Guerrilla art
is not only spray paint and text and images. It can also
encompass theater and film projections projected on walls of buildings. Guerilla art
has arisen as a small underground movement starting in the 1980s, partially
as a response to the perceived takeover of public space by commercial
interests, the perceived banality of many authorized public art pieces, and
the frequent lack of authorized exhibition opportunities for artists. One of the most
popular forms of guerilla art is the alteration of billboards, often with
the intent of creating an absurd or ironic message from the original
advertising content. Such
installations are often meant to be somewhat subtle. A school of
thought exists that much artistically-intended graffiti can be considered as
guerilla art as well. Stickers,
stencils and poster art are increasingly influential - Robbie Conal
regularly uses Los Angeles as his personal gallery space. Shepard
Fairey's Obey Giant stickers can now be seen in cities across the United
States. Other prominent
members of the movement include the billboard liberation front Although
guerilla art is sometimes equated with the use of disposable media, one of
the most famous pieces of guerilla art was the installation of the bronze
sculpture Charging Bull by Arturo Di Modica in front of the New York Stock
Exchange in December 1989. Although
unauthorized, the sculpture became an immediate hit with many New Yorkers,
leading to its permanent installation a few blocks away in Bowling Green
plaza. Jason Sprinkle,
part of Fabricators of the Attachment (FA), tied a chain to the hammering
man in Seattle, WA. Another
guerrilla art group, the Provos, during the 60s in Amsterdam acted out
happenings where the Provos would give out thousands of white bikes. In another
"performance," the Provos dressed up as Santa Claus and handing out presents
that did not belong to them to children in the department store, causing the
police to respond and publicy arrest a handful of Santas in front of the
children. |