Contentious politics is the act of using disruptive techniques to make a political point or to change government policy. When that is defined most people’s minds will go to actions such as strikes, riots and protests but rarely to graffiti and street art as it isn’t something that directly effects day-to-day life or something that is made completely noticeable for the purpose of being heard to advocate for change, however researchers such as Waldner and Dobratz (2013) believe that political sociologists and social movement scholars should consider this ‘micro-level political participation’ and recognise it’s importance as a form of resistance as art is something that people pay attention to when coming across it which leads to them finding out the purpose behind a piece and possibly forming their own political opinion or taking part in action in favour of the movement the art was created for.
While graffiti and street art don’t use the same methods as more common forms of contentious politics, that doesn’t mean it can’t be defined as one. Hanaeur (2004) argues that graffiti fullfils 3 functions that are (1) providing an entrée into the public discourse of ideas that are ignored by other media; (2) providing an individual with the opportunity to publically voice controversial ideas; and (3) providing marginalized persons a venue. All three of these functions are similar, if not the same, as the reasons for when strikes, riots and protests are organised as they all provide a space for both a group of people or individual to voice their opinion on a certain matter and make sure they are noticed by other people.
Covid-19 and Graffiti/Street Art
During Covid-19 times, organising demonstrations like strikes, riots and protests weren’t something the public could do easily without taking into consideration the laws and guidelines that were provided at the time, especially during peak times where a law was put in place where you couldn’t leave the house for more than one hour a day. Due to this, people took out their frustrations and voiced their opinions in alternative ways, namely using graffiti and street art. For example, I have included a picture I took of art I came across walking around Brighton that was created for the NHS workers. Other forms of art included the rainbow signs and drawings in windows, garden walls, etc and when they were broadcasted on the news, the rest of the country took part in this to show support for the NHS. During this, the people slowly started becoming more irritated over the way the government was handling Covid, leading to more negative displays of graffiti and street art as pictured below. These also made rounds on the media, sparking discussions and debates on the government’s handling of Covid, showing that graffiti and street art was effective in getting the publics opinion across and have their voices heard during a restrictive time. Holly Ryan (2021) puts forward the idea of ‘walking-as-method’ in graffiti and street art, highlighting the array of political graffiti and street art that occured in the first wave of Covid-19 in the UK and period of lockdown which the public would be exposed to during their one hour of being allowed outside, therefore spreading these political ideas even further and encouraging other people to use their voice in a similar way or challenge their views if they had an opposing opinion.
‘Modern Day Hero’ for NHS workers, picture by me.
An act of graffiti on a wall in Glasgow expressing distaste towards the Conservative’s government handling of Covid-19.
Banksy
Banksy is a notable artist who uses graffiti and street art to put forward his political opinions and make people aware of what is occurring in the world, for example using his art to shed light on things such as capitalism, war, poverty and peace. Some of his most famous art works consist of ‘Balloon Girl’ located in different locations and has different variations used by Banksy to support various social campaigns such as the West Bank barrier (2005), Syrian refugee crisis (2014), and the 2017 UK election, ‘Flower Thrower’, a piece in Beit Sahour in the West Bank, Palestine, ‘Kissing Coppers’ located in Brighton and his most recent piece of a tree mural in north London, all pictured below. His work is a form of contentious politics as it is disruptive, due to his nature of doing his art pieces wherever he deems best and them always having a political point to highlight the present political and social issues, which encourages people to start talking about those issues.
‘Balloon Girl’ original mural on Waterloo Bridge, South Bank.
‘Flower Thrower’
‘Kissing Coppers’, picture by me.
Banksy most recent work – a tree mural.
If we go back to our definition of contentious politics being the act of disrputing to make a political point or change government policy, it can be argued that graffiti and street art both do exactly that. Although they aren’t used in a traditional method like strikes, riots and protests, they still cause disruption because of the locations they can be found like shop walls, alleyways, over advertisements or street signs as well as they put across a political opinion and tend to bring people together who come across these pieces of art and decide to make their own and participate too, like we have identified.
Graffiti and street art should be more recognised and researched by scholars as it has a huge impact on spreading political message via the ‘walking-as-method’ or through news and the media covering it. They both also reflect on the current climate of the world, by always creating pieces that are influenced and in support of a recent event or social movement that needs and deserves more coverage in real life due to the possible censorship that supporters of the movement can and are likely to come across online.
Reference List
Waldner, L.K. and Dobratz, B.A. (2013), Graffiti as a Form of Contentious Political Participation. Sociology Compass
Holly Eva Ryan (2021) The political work of graffiti during the Covid-19 pandemic: a view from Tottenham, London, Visual Studies
Guy Herpner, Banksy:Art as a Political Weapon. Available at: https://www.guyhepner.com/banksy-art-as-a-political-weapon/
Howie.L Banky’s Anti-War Activism. Available at: https://www.myartbroker.com/artist-banksy/articles/banksy-anti-war-activism