Abstract:
This study entitled, “The Aesthetics of Philippine Graffiti Art: Three Case
Studies,” answers the problem, “what is graffiti art and its aesthetics in the Philippines?”
based on the three graffiti groups: Samahan Batang Aerosol, Crime In Style and Pilipinas
Street Plan. It is a study concerning the aesthetics: perception, reception, process and
“form,” of graffiti art; how upon looking at graffiti art, how one can respond to it. The
conception of graffiti art laid out in this paper, it is hoped, will aid in the understanding
and appreciation of the art. Graffiti art in the Philippines in the 1990’s was influenced by New York graffiti
art, through the Flip Hop movement. New York graffiti art emerged as a form of the
marginalized youth wanting to express their rights of freedom of speech and use of public
space. The second wave of graffiti art now broadly termed as “street art” also influenced
graffiti art here in the Philippines. The aesthetics of graffiti art is examined through the artist, the art object and the
viewer. Graffiti art is inherently an act of resistance, in its use of public space and illegal
location. It is a deviance to the system transgressing art and society. Philippine graffiti art
differs in its social and cultural context. Graffiti art from the influence of the Hip hop
movement still carries the symbol of resistance the way it emerged in New York. Graffiti
act of protest and resistance, to provoke and to
make the public think and not just to appreciate art.
