Understanding the Competitive Nature Behind ‘High-Risk’ Graffiti

Welcome to the 215th insertion of DEMUR®, an analytical series highlighting the intricacies of the artistic world and the minutiae lying within. In this episode, we climb to the heights of graffiti’s illicit sub-culture in an attempt to comprehend the death-defying artists behind ‘high-risk’ tagging.

Graffiti is a highly unique art form, in that its mere practice lies outside of the law. At every corner, billboard or blank wall, rebellious creatives accept and embrace the potential for imprisonment, voluntarily throwing themselves into risky situations without any expectation of monetary compensation. Pursued strictly for one’s enjoyment, or the accolades shared among peers, the desire to be infamous is simply too alluring for many to resist, so much so that one is willing to put it all on the line.

As perhaps one of the cheapest sub-genres to participate in, seeing as canvases’ are both free and infinite, a basic marker or bottle of spray paint allows any average Joe to take an interest in the criminal act. In opposition to comparable mediums, graffiti’s admission charge lies in the hands of the artist, hailed for the lengths, heights and danger they’re willing to endure to define themselves and amass a cultural legacy.

This unspoken competition has led many street artists like CHAKA to tag NYPD cars in broad daylight, or groups like 1UP to ‘graffiti-bomb’ subway stations with massive pressurized canisters. Much like Kidult’s work, who notoriously defaced Supreme’s flagship New York location back in 2011, before hitting, Balenciaga, Louis Vuitton and Philp Plein, these creatives are taking graffiti art to the next level as they repetitiously one-up (pun intended) each other.

From the viral images of untethered artists tagging Mexico’s 430ft ‘Metlac Bride’ in the 90s and early 2000s to more recent acts of standstill line ‘art’ recorded anonymously on an iPhone, it's clear that with illegal activities come extremists and adrenaline junkies. Staking youthful futures for next to nothing, a mix of danger, passion and pressure makes for some of the world’s most impactful and exigent art.