Graffiti

By Evan Strauss

In nearly every place we have been on this trip, there has been graffiti.
From stickers in Melbourne, Australia, to a glued mosaic in Copenhagen, Denmark, we have seen a wide range of graffiti around the world.

There have been stickers, spray paint, glued beads, tags, and even a Banksy.
I have found that the most common thing was a bird—every place we have gone, there has been a graffiti bird tag.
I have even painted graffiti we found on the street, and so has my mom. The one I painted was from Berlin, and the one my mom painted is from Vienna, Austria.

One of our favorite tags was in Vienna, Austria—a tag of an ostrich peeking around a corner.
Later, we found that it was actually a sticker, not a painting—and it was right near our house.
We also found two others elsewhere in the city.

The hub for spray painting was Berlin, Germany, which had so much graffiti that any wall in the open was covered—including part of the famous Berlin Wall.

The oldest graffiti is in Ancient Rome, dating back 2,500 years, often found in public spaces and featuring messages about gladiators or even word games.
But the oldest one we’ve seen is at the Temple of Poseidon, which had graffiti over 215 years old—carved by Lord Byron along with many others.
It was really cool to see that graffiti was done over 200 years ago in Greece.

While we were in Venice, we were on a bridge and saw, on a wall with the water lapping against it, a Banksy artwork of a child in a life vest with a pink smoke bomb titled Migrant Child.
It was so ironic because nobody else saw it, and it sort of makes you wonder what else you are missing.

There’s also a tag in Melbourne, Australia, of a cartoony bird that is absolutely everywhere—it’s even on their massive shot tower in Clifton Hill.

On our trip, we have seen so much graffiti, and it's so cool to see all these different art styles and tags around the world.It's really amazing to see that people want to make a mark whether it's for art, protest,or humor.

Personal note: If I were to design a tag it would be a cartoon kiwi with tiny wings and giant eyeballs.