Historical dissemination of graffiti art

Abstract

Historical analysis is performed on the five decades old urban phenomenon represented in “graffiti art”. The article first traces the dissemination of graffiti art from New York City to the Western world in the 1980s. Individual dissemination channels represented in gallery exhibitions, cultural media and interpersonal contact are highlighted. Further, the dissemination of graffiti art in the 1990s to Central and Eastern Europe is demonstrated on the case of Czechoslovakia. Finally, the article summarises information on the dissemination of graffiti art to the rest of the world. It is argued that the production of graffiti art works on exteriors of trains became an orthodox tradition of the graffiti art culture in the 1970s and disseminated together with graffiti art forms average scales to other areas of the world. A diagram representing the Origins, Dissemination Channels and Other Conditions relating to the spread of graffiti art is presented.