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When many people think of graffiti, they think of vandalism. They consider it to be unwelcome, unsightly, and associated with gangs and urban decay. However, many street artists are using graffiti to create just that: street art. There is a new appreciation in the urban world for graffiti as public art and a medium for social commentary. Griffiti can be traced as far back as the 1920’s but had it’s true birth as art form parallel to the emergence of hip hop in the 1908s. For an informative look at the history and worldwide expansion of graffiti, visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graffiti.

Many street artists have taken graffiti to  whole new level and made names for themselves in both the graffiti community and the more mainstream pop art world. The high-tech graffiti artists group Graffiti Research Lab, who use laser pointers in lieu of paint, was even featured at a recent MOMA show, Design and the Elastic Mind.

One of the most famous street artists today goes by the name of Banksy. His distinct, stencil style of politically and socially charged street art is found worldwide. To view some of his work, go to Banksy.co.uk.

Another graffiti artist who is doing innovative things is Blu, a street artist from Argentina, has taken the static images of graffiti and turned them into flip book-style animations. His new animation, Muto, was much-anticipated by fans of graffiti art.

Ned Batchelder states: “His latest is Muto which is both a technical tour de force and an eye-opening creepy animation. Not only did he work in the less than ideal environment of the sidewalk, but it meant that he couldn’t have more than one frame in existence at a time, with no possibility of reworking old frames or sketching out new ones. Once the frame was shot, the work was destroyed. Amazing.”

Muto by Blu