The public debate that pitted the suits against the street kids in an argument about whether or not graffiti art is, well, “art,” has long since been settled—it is, deal with it—but the recent unmasking of the graffiti-artist-to-the-stars, bona fide celebrity and truly talented Banksy has brought graffiti art back into the headlines for a hot moment. Thus, I thought I’d dovetail off current events and point out that if you’re still wandering around Charlottesville scratching your head and wondering where all this good graffiti is the kids keep talking about, just go home, get on your old computer and check out Oddwall.
The site, run by a man named Steve Ensminger, is basically an homage to San Francisco street art, with thousands of images cross-referenced according to neighborhood, theme, artist and style; each cross referenced grouping is akin to a curated exhibition of street art, and the curator has impeccable taste. His stunning photographs of stirring art feature pieces ranging in simplistic description from beautiful to whimsical to political to frightening to funny. I tend to gravitate towards cutouts when it comes to my street art fancy, and there is plenty here that makes my jaw drop, particularly a piece that depicts an elephant carrying a knight and a geisha, running with her head bent against a strong wind.
Although I have no doubt that the Bay Area is lovely, I’ve never been one of those people who itches for San Francisco. (I have a theory that it’s an entire American subculture.) Yet Oddwall makes me think that the city is a place I would go to—not randomly, but as an art tourist, the way one might go to Marfa, Texas, Art Basel or the Venice Biennale.