Lights out for the territory

Graffiti, a visual art form produced in public spaces, has always been inherently political. Its primary purpose is to assert ownership over the public sphere while also denouncing social and political inequalities. While some consider graffiti to be a form of defacement, it is widely regarded as one of the few truly democratic mediums. Sometimes sacrificing aesthetic formalism in favor of ideological substance, graffiti serves as a powerful tool for social commentary. However, graffiti's entry into the urban landscape is frequently met with resistance in the form of its removal, which is just as much a political act as the writing itself. The act of erasing graffiti can, in some cases, make it even more conspicuous. In either instance, both the creation and removal of graffiti serve as transgressive acts that challenge the established norms and conventions of our urban landscapes.

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Year: 2006-2012
Medium: 80 color-slides of obscured ideological graffiti in the streets of Mexico City, slide projector
Dimensions: Variable