"Tag", you're it.

So you’re walking down a street, an alley, or by some railroad tracks.  You turn and notice some brightly colored, highly stylized, nearly calligraphic strings of words on a nearby wall, or train car, surrounded by other, similar but distinctly unique graphics.  It is instantly recognizable to you as graffiti.  Perhaps you or someone you know has been unfortunate enough to have had their property “tagged” in the past.  It is generally regarded as vandalism, or defacement of property, as it can be somewhat difficult to remove the paint from a surface (which can be an attractive element to those who are doing the tagging), but just because graffiti generally employs the use of aerosol paint cans or permanent markers, doesn't mean it is a solely modern phenomenon.

Numerous early displays of graffiti can be found in places such as the “Church of the Holy Sepulcher” in Jerusalem, left by the crusaders, or in Rome, where an apparent satirical representation of “Christ” on the cross (but with the head of an “ass”), depicts a man worshiping, and reads “Alexamenos worships [his] God”, variously dated from between the 1st and 3rd century A.D.  These fascinating examples help to recreate an understanding of the political and religious sentiments at the time.

Today, people use graffiti for many purposes. Some simply want the thrill of breaking the law, and leaving their mark.  Others, such as gangs, will use specific tags to mark their territory to other gangs.  Due to these uses, graffiti has garnered an often negative reputation.  But there are many who see it as more than vandalism.

The, motivations are varied, but for many, the walls, streets and bridges of a city are a canvas, their tools including stencils, stickers, posters or paint.  They would not see their graffiti as defacement, but as art, and free expression.  Others wish to use the medium as a tool to project their social/political views.  More recently, graffiti has been used in places like Cairo, calling for the overthrow of the (then) current regime, being an extreme example of a political statement.  It is sometimes argued, especially in the west, that these street artists should have the right to express themselves in such ways, but in cases like that of Kyle Magee, who painted over an advertisement at a bus shelter, the law of the land showed not to support this kind of an argument.  The charges against those caught may range from vandalism, to intentional destruction of property or criminal trespass (among others).  Because of the subjective nature of art itself, it may be difficult to make or enforce strict laws, especially where forms of “Freedom of Speech” rights exist, and thus this style of expression continues. 

But even where Freedom of Expression is barred, the desire to communicate ideas, dreams, and beliefs will always remain.  When all ulterior motives are torn away from graffiti, the need to share experiences and connect with others is all that is left.