Spray-on success

His hands are covered in paint specks, as are his baggy cargo pants and black skater takkies. Ricky — or Trix as he is known in the scene — is working on a piece at the graffiti wall on the corner of Jo’burg’s Jan Smuts and Empire roads. His graphic creation of a metro train speeding through a landscape of electricity cables and rundown houses is an advertisement for the upcoming Write4Gold competition, an event that Ricky is organising. MC battles, a fashion show, local documentaries and other cultural expressions with street cred will add to the main event: a massive gathering of South Africa’s best graffiti artists, showing the tricks of the trade.

Even though people have been writing for some time, South African graffiti has not been given much credit. “The scene here is younger because of the whole apartheid era,” says Ricky. “We have been isolated and have not evolved together with the scenes in the United States and Europe.”

The fact that graffiti is relatively young in South Africa does not mean that it is not worthy. “We are ready to represent on a global level. There are amazing things happening around the country. Because we have been isolated, graffiti here is different; instead of just copying styles from the West, artists look at South Africa for inspiration. You will see artworks of shabby township houses, not of New York skyscrapers.”

Graffiti goes beyond leaving one’s name in public spaces. The spraypainted images are and always have been a way of cultural expression. Just as rock paintings were used in ancient times to inform and tell stories, graffiti was discovered by New York youth in the 1970s to express feelings of discontent with the ruling system. The name graffiti came from the Greek word graphein (to write), when abandoned streets and the vast subway system became original canvases for youngsters to write on.

Today, graffiti is growing more mainstream. It is used in a gimmicky fashion by international companies such as Nike, who realise that it is a form of communication the youth responds to. The commercialisation of graffiti is not necessarily a bad thing, says Ricky, who’d rather call himself an artist than a graffiti artist. “It will bring graffiti to the masses. The art should not be boxed in. I’m all for progression.”

But progress proves hard. In addition to a minor position globally, South African graffiti has another hurdle to overcome: its bad image.

Many see graffiti as vandalism. They see youngsters going out at night, disgracing walls and trains and causing general havoc. Most graffiti is branded illegal.

“People don’t understand graffiti,” says Faith. “They don’t take time to appreciate it and, therefore, it is often misunderstood. The fact that it can’t be regulated and is not asking for acceptance, but rather is standing up as its own, makes people uncomfortable.” Hailing from the graffiti Mecca of Cape Town, Faith47 is one the best-known artists in the country. Her crew is taking part in the Write4Gold competition.

One of few girls in the graff business, Faith is also part of a project initiated by the British Council South Africa called Lines of Attitude: Crossing Continents with Street Art. Together with other popular graffiti writer Falko and United Kingdom legends Mode2 and Dreph, she travelled to Kenya to team up with local artist Phiks. The creative collective of five did several productions in disadvantaged communities to lift spirits and show how graffiti can be constructive. They were embraced by the youth, whose only brush with graffiti came from decorated matatus (taxis) because of strict government regulations.

After Kenya, the group moved to Cape Town to paint a large mural, give graffiti workshops and exhibit their work at the District 6 Homecoming Centre. The project is documented in a book with explanatory texts by the artists and photos of their work.

The aim of Lines of Attitude is to show graffiti’s true potential and not just the negative stereotype of vandalism. “Graffiti is a medium. It gives people a voice and talks about current issues like poverty and crime,” says Faith, who tries to tackle these issues in her work. “There is so much apathy in South Africa. Graffiti can be utilised to motivate people to take action, to actually do things.” One of her next projects is a mural in Cape Town on the topic of refugees.

Coordinator for the British Council Jean September is looking into the possibility of bringing the project to Durban and Jo’burg in November and/or December, and to London and Manchester. Future escapades will seek to work with local artists. “We got a lot of encouraging comments from commuters in Cape Town driving past the mural, saying this is the kind of public art we must have more of.”

For South African graffiti, Write4Gold is a step towards international recognition. The crew found to be the best by three judges from Germany — the country where the aerosol art competition originated — will go on to battle crews from around the world in the global finals in August.

The competition and Lines of Attitude are steps toward changing the perception of graffiti. Ricky and Faith are positive. “With border-crossing events like this, people will hopefully see the strength of the graffiti movement,” says Ricky.

Sure, not everybody will learn to appreciate graffiti, but society has to be open to the fact that it is out there and it is there to stay. Faith: “Graffiti is about expression, it’s about having a voice and taking ownership of your direct environment.”

The details

Write4Gold 2006 will kick off at Carfax, 39 Pimm Street, Jo’burg, on May 13 with a mix of aerosol art, hip-hop and skate programmes, special events and live music at noon. Entry costs R80 after 9pm, R50 before. Call 083 300 9970 or log on to www.write4gold.info for more info.
The Lines of Attitude book is available from Idols in Durban, The Bin in Cape Town, Monk in Jo’burg or online at www.thebin.co.za/store.