From Wikipedia:

Graffiti ( singular: graffito: the plural is used as a mass noun) is the name for the images or lettering scratched, scrawled, painted or any form of marking on property. Historically, the term graffiti referred to inscriptions, figure drawings, etc., found on the walls of the ancient ruins, as in the Catacombs of Rome.

The Beginning

Graffiti, as we know it today, was born out of New York on the subway trains in the late 1960's. It burst into fame when people began to notice a mysterious name – “Taki 183”– written all over the subway stations and subway cars. Taki 183's job required him to ride the subway extensively, and he used this time to write his name wherever he could. People started talking about this mysterious figure, and in 1971 Taki 183 did an exclusive interview with the New York Times. This helped for Graffiti writing to explode into the public and it rapidly became competitive. Many kids realized that they could, like Taki 183, gain fame through graffiti writing. Soon the amount of graffiti in the subway erupted as kids began to compete against each other for writing space, popularity and recognition.

On the street, hip hop music was also emerging and Keith Haring developed unique characters and figures that he placed on posters in public places. Soon, however, he also began to draw on subway walls and posters, bringing his unique characters to an even wider audience. His art was recognized and placed in many galleries and books. This helped to increase public awareness of this growing art form.


The Stories Merge

The hip hop, break dancing and rapping culture naturally began to relate with the graffiti culture, and even to this day these cultures are very linked. They were all saying the same thing, and had risen as a response to the social climate. Although break dancing has died down in some ways and The Emcee is seen as the major figure within hiphop and rap today, the scene is slowly changing with graffiti coming once again to the forefront.


Pioneering Times

Because “tagging” in Taki 183's style had became so prevalent, writers began to get more extravagant with their graffiti. Thus, in 1970, the “Style Wars” emerged and graff writers began creating more expressive pieces, incorporating color and style in tagging. Graffiti moved from the usage of permanent markers to spray paint. Styles and terms came to the forefront – “wild-style,” “racking,” “toy” and the term “piece” (from the word “masterpiece.”) This is where it developed from writing into art. The subculture of graffiti was born, and tagging moved from individuals to crews. Only some of the graffiti was gang related – gangs marking their territory - which was usually done in haste and not as artistically fit. Most graffiti is not gang related, and crews were born also as a response to protect taggers from gangs.


The Media Acknowledges

The 80's saw the media promoting the hip hop and graffiti cultures, and many books and films were released covering the stories. Europe and the world became influenced. As the law began to clamp down on graffiti artists, it began to shift from the subways into the city. Graff artists started to write in obscure places, walls, and any place they could find to express themselves.


The Thought

Graffiti was born from kids who were frustrated with the branding that the social system had imposed upon them. They were told that they had no talent, no culture, no creativity. The system wanted them to remain anonymous, to keep pretending that the everything was ok. Hip hop and graffiti rose as a response against this. It showed the truth : that these kids had talent. That they had an original creativity. It showed that they had important stories to tell. And, it exposed these stories to the world. Now graffiti has now moved from this protest, by those on the streets, to the world and spreads across all kinds of people and groupings. Graff pieces have shifted from simple tagging to elaborate, fascinating designs. It has grown from being seen as vandalism to what it is and always has been – art and expression. It represents the stories of passionate people who grew up, and grow up, in social systems that refuse to acknowledge them. LIV2CRE8 is a tribute to these stories, to these people, to their expression.