Graffiti gets more space in Prague

Graffiti is a 20th Century cultural and artistic phenomena, that will certainly be no less famous in the century 21th. This art, based partly on vandalism, is favored by some, hated by others. Among those, who certainly hate it, are the Prague Public Transport (MHD) officials, who have to spent over 15 million CZK (500 thousands €) every year to clean it up from the trains. The other case is, when you live in i.e. Jizni mesto in Prague, where the only surroundings of your gray “panelak” (pre-fabricated houses made in the USSR) are other gray panelaks.

And it is the Jizni mesto heads, that decided to organize a competition for the best graffiti makers, who could decorate the local gray face. Of course there are some critics, stating that this only helps to develop the unwanted illegal graffiti. But common locals are more or less for the idea of organized graffiti, with some kind of quality guarantee. “For the artists themselves it means self-realization, an adrenalin sport, and possibility of making large projects with their crew. Lots of them continue to some art school, where they can profit from what they have learned in the streets”, points out a journalist Martina Overstreet.

“Legals” are in the whole world. Somewhere, like in N.Y., it belongs inherently to the color.