A museum is defined by a quick Google search of, ‘museum definition,’ as, “a building in which objects of historical, scientific, artistic, or cultural interest are stored and exhibited.” Namely, the simple act of putting something in a museum is a transformative one. Once an object is transported into a museum, its changes the meaning of that object from just an entity to a pillar of society, something that has contributed in some way to our civilization. The formation of a society is symbolically represented and built upon a physical space. Buildings are made to house society; they are carefully cultivated and approved by the women and men in charge. Therefore, I found it extraordinarily interesting that Street Art; a medium that traditionally ‘defaces’ these foundational elements of society, was lent a sense of validity by its inclusion in the museum. Putting something into a museum it inducts it into the canon, saying, “yes, this idea, theme, painting, art, sculpture, had some impact, some weight on our society.”
What struck me most about these paintings were not necessarily their subject matter but more that coupled with the context in which they were created. While many of the paintings on display entranced me, the one I was most struck by was the one entitled, “City of Waste,” by an artist named Edward Glowalski under the pseudonym CAINE ONE. It was painted on the U.S Bicentennial. It was painted in dark shades, mostly varying intensity shades of brown. It depicted heavy symbols of industrialization. Factory parts emitted smoke that seemed to obscure the stars on the “night” side and, on the other “day” side, the smoke rose to meet with a sickly yellow skyline. The actual building and factory surfaces were shaded a monotonous color. The only surfaces that . I found it incredible, as if to say in a meta manner that while he is spraying on one of these buildings or train carriages and “vandalizing” those, the buildings themselves are defacing the land they are on, ruining it.
I was also fascinated by a piece that was not actually taken from of the streets but was nonetheless inspired by it. In the middle of the gallery, but a wall filled with quotes about street art. The most interesting quote pretty much summed up how I felt as I walked out.
“I like it.”
– Andy Warhol