gabygm.cargo.site
Urban environments function as platforms for public expression,
where graffiti and street art serve as critical reflections of contemporary
social, economic, and political conditions. In cities like
Boston, particularly within low-income and student-populated
areas, these unsanctioned visual interventions create an evolving
record of underground dialogue. Often dismissed as vandalism,
graffiti operates as a coded language; its patterns, placement,
and messages offering insight into localized communities and
organizations. My work examines how street art corresponds
to broader societal transformations, raising key questions: How
does graffiti reflect contemporary socio-economic realities, and
in what ways does its presence signal political change? How
do unsupervised public spaces shape individual engagement in
anonymous expression and invisible conversations?
At its core, my work is about teaching the art of noticing
and encourages audiences to take a closer look at their surroundings.
Through visual storytelling, I want to highlight the
nuances and complexities of documenting an art form that is
inherently anonymous yet publicly displayed. While I offer my
own interpretations, I ultimately invite viewers to draw their own
conclusions, fostering a deeper understanding of the layered,
often unseen narratives that shape urban space.
Rather than a traditional academic study, this digital collection
“walks” the reader through my thought process, layering
documentation, interpretation, and reflection. I explore how
street art functions as protest, resistance, and counter-narrative
to dominant power structures to interrogate authorship and ask:
Who is speaking, and why?