Задание №12 — Коммуникативные умения

Why do street artists create their works?

Why are serious companies getting interested in street art?

Where are the international street art exhibitions held?

What does the term street art include?

Which of the famous street artists managed to keep his/her real name a secret?

What is the most innovative technique in street art?

Why don’t street artists sign their works with their real names?

Street art can be described as art that is developed in public spaces and, above all, in the street. Typically, street art is used to separate public-space artwork from illegal graffiti and vandalism. It can mean a lot of different things including graffiti, poster art, wall paintings and just about any artwork that is displayed in public places.

The start of street art is closely connected to graffiti, which appeared in New York in the 1970s. For the following ten years, street art grew more and more popular and was soon joined by new forms including street installations, street sculptures and 3D pavement illusions. Kurt Wenner was the person who developed 3D pavement illusion as an absolutely new form of street art and inspired a future generation of street artists.

Street artists are often associated with opposition. Their artwork is considered a crime and vandalism and the artists may be arrested for damaging property, so the artists prefer to use nicknames and create their drawings mostly at night. They are not looking for fame, especially in countries where graffiti is still illegal.

Banksy is probably the most well-known English street artist who has already become a legendary figure. His works are exhibited in galleries across the world. An American magazine even named him among the top most influential people in the world. However, it’s still true that no one knows who the person really is. He is the only one whose photo has never been made or published.

The motivations and ideas that inspire street artists are as different as the artists themselves. Some street artists, by creating certain works, want to draw attention to social and political problems. For other artists, street art is just a form of self-expression. And there are those who enjoy the danger and risks which are connected with working illegally in some city areas.

Traditional graffiti has recently been used as a successful method for advertising. Lots of companies agree that traditional advertising on city streets is too boring and common, so many people simply ignore it. However, graffiti adverts catch your attention, creating a memorable image. Big companies find this quite useful and try to include more elements of graffiti in their advertising campaigns.