Artistreet: Graffiti in the City

CEBU, Philippines —  Art is expressed in different forms and in different places. Poem written on sheets, painting drawn on canvases, sculpture carved of rock or wood, music written and performed, the list is endless.

Art is everywhere – it only takes an openness or intention to discover and experience it. There’s beauty even in the most ordinary things and, thus, art too. There’s even art that would distract one’s attention from the noise of the busy streets of the city.

In Cebu City, as commuters go about their daily routines many of them go on certain routes, to go somewhere to work, to go to school, to run errands etc. Wherever they go, there’s always art of some kind to see. Those who are open enough to see it would swear it saves their sanity from the increasingly mind-blowing traffic everywhere in the city these days.

There’s art to see of the mushrooming modern buildings around. There’s also art in the hum of vehicular traffic and of human conversations. More easily noticeable are the ‘works of art’ that have since emerge by the roadsides – graffiti on walls along certain city streets.

Graffiti are these painted or drawn pictures or words on walls or buildings. These often feature vibrant colors, hand-drawn letters, or some out-of-this-world graphic illustrations. Graffiti ‘artists’ anywhere use the walls and abandoned buildings as their canvas. Some have a message to convey, others do it just for the fun of doing it.

Different people view graffiti in different ways. To some, graffiti is a sore sight; while others are amazed at the magnificence of the overlapping colors. Perhaps appreciating graffiti for its artistic value is an “acquired taste” that one doesn’t just get right away.

In this era of new media, young people are quite attuned to the art of graffiti. They see it as a perfect background for their photos. They find graffiti as Instagram-worthy.

Graffiti is a reality in many urban centers. Cebu is catching up. More and more roadsides are being overtaken by this modern ‘art form’.

Call it boon or bane – it seems graffiti is here to stay. For young people who have something to “say,” graffiti is a good avenue; as well as for those who need something fun to do. The idle walls and abandoned buildings are waiting. - Marjorie Enriquez, USJR Intern