Tag: graffiti

Not Shopping

My riffs on street art and graffiti in Germany, Italy, New York City, Mexico, Ecuador, and Russia are not meant to be exhaustive catalogs of either street art or graffiti in any of these places. Instead, they are meant as…

Street Art: Russia

Russia is another society I am intimidated by—its wars, its strength, its vastness, its vodka. As I do in Germany, I expect its street art and graffiti to be fierce, aggressive, bold. As in Germany, I find some of what…

Street Art and Graffiti in Germany: Strong and Light

I see Germany as strong and fearless; it has that strong economy, those fast highways, that World War II history, a reputation for orderliness. I am not surprised to see a monstrously large statue of Germany’s first chancellor, Otto von…

Isla Mujeres Graffiti: Appreciating Symbols

I do not speak Spanish and do not really know the message of the brightly colored graffiti I see on a wall while speeding through Isla Mujeres, Mexico on a golf cart. While I ponder the artwork, I gain a…

Galapagos Graffiti: Who Would Mark Up Paradise?

As much as I enjoy some visually gratifying graffiti in urban areas, seeing it in the Galapagos islands is a little jarring. I understand there’s tension here that tourists do not necessarily see—pressure to fish, to provide jobs, to keep…