A brief exploration of graffiti culture and the misconceptions.

1. Graffiti Culture by Lisa Whittington by Lisa Whittington

3. Some artists, sociologists and writers even regard graffiti as a sophisticated art form, calling it 'spray can art'. As one graffiti artist commented, graffiti has been with us since our early ancestors painted on cave walls. If beauty is indeed in the eye of the beholder, nowhere is this more evident than in the response to graffiti. To many graffiti is just ugly, anti-social daubs, while for their practitioners they represent an expression of individuality in an impersonal world.

6. Where Graffiti is Legal Hosier Lane, Melbourne, Australia This famous spot is popular among tourists and artists alike. Located in the southern edge of Melbourne, Hosier Lane allows for all kinds of street art.

7. Where Graffiti is Legal Venice, California, United States The Venice Graffiti Pit is world famous for being an open and creative space for street artists. It is not uncommon to see an artist in the middle of working on a mural her. Artwork gets painted over by other artists in rapid succession.

8. Where Graffiti is Legal Taipei, Taiwan Many artists take advantage of Taiwan’s legal gray areas posting their work all over the city. Police officers openly admit to not getting involved unless there is an owner complaint or property damage.

9. Where Graffiti is Legal Warsaw, Poland-- Topiel Street provides ample wall space for writers and stencil art. No hassle from the local police

10. Where Graffiti is Legal Queens, New York, United States Dubbed 5Pointz, this full city block in the Queens neighborhood of Long Island City is almost entirely covered by graffiti. Artists who are interested in putting up their work here must first be reviewed and granted permission by curator Meres One.

14. B.U.G.A. U.P. Formed in 1978 in Austrailia by a group of health professionals and others disgusted at the prevalence of tobacco advertising, Billboard-Utilizing Graffitists Against Unhealthy Promotions (B.U.G.A. U.P.) rapidly made their mark on hoardings around the nation. By cleverly revising advertising slogans and disrupting tobacco sponsored events, the group revealed the true cost of tobacco company deception. Having racked up numerous fines and arrests over its 10 year existence, B.U.G.A. U.P. formally wound up in 1994 as federal and state governments finally began to take action to ban tobacco advertising in newspapers and magazines, on billboards, television and radio.

15. B.U.G.A.U.P Graffiti

16. B.U.G.A.U.P Graffiti

17. B.U.G.A.U.P Graffiti

18. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBIxScJ5rlY John Mayer “Waiting on the World to Chan g e”