Who “illustrates” Yerevan?
"Only Revolution", "It Has Started", "I Can't Live Without You", "Don't Kill Our Love", "You Will Remember Me"-these are the main expressions that one often sees on the walls of underground passageways in Yerevan. They're called graffiti, which is a sub-culture of a city.
In many countries, drawing graffiti on anyone's property without permission is considered vandalism and is punished by the law.
Municipal authorities consider this form of street art dangerous. In Yerevan, there is graffiti on the walls of underground passageways, as well as the walls of the Opera and Ballet Theater and other buildings. Graffiti with personal content or about love stays for a long period, while graffiti with political content is immediately washed.
Since 2007, Art Laboratory political graffiti studio has been involved in drawing graffiti of political and social content. As a rule, the rise of the number of examples of political graffiti runs parallel to the political developments.
"We mainly draw graffiti at night since we can't do it in the afternoon. In general, our graffiti is immediately erased, especially when it has a political subtext," Head of Art Laboratory Hovik Margaryan told "A1".
As a sub-culture, graffiti is considered illegal, except for cases when the drafts of drawings are permitted. That kind of graffiti permitted by Yerevan Municipality has been drawn on the walls under arches of buildings located on central streets by students of Terlemezyan Art School and the State Art Academy.
"A1+" asked Yerevan Municipality's press service for information on where people drawing graffiti have the right to draw and who oversees the external cleanness of the buildings. The press service employees demanded sending the questions in written form, but our questions have remained unanswered for more than two weeks.
Graffiti has been established in all parts of the world as an inseparable part of the culture of a city and is developing with the times.
For instance, last year, 3D graffiti spread at a rapid pace last year, and German painter Edgar Miuller is known for this.
One morning, residents of a German city found a deep hole. It turned out that it was simply Miuller's graffiti, but it was so real that people went around "the hole" in fear. It was so beautiful that the authorities didn't wash it and classified it as a value of city culture.
There are special spots for graffiti artists in many countries. For instance, graffiti artists draw graffiti on the walls of the Orscice Fortress and Milan's Vemberg Student Hostel.
What about Armenia? "The places where we draw graffiti are humid and smell bad," Anna, Head of Sun Style Group of Graffiti Artists, told "A1+".
