Conor Harrington

This way, when graffiti exists in a legal and commercial sphere its fundamental nature is nearly obliterated. When legal writers are referred to as ‘graffiti’ artists the title responds more to the aesthetics of the work than to the values and beliefs enclosed in a standard canvas. Urban graffiti artists find in public property the best surface for political art. Nonetheless, Harrington’s art is an interesting one combining both graffiti aesthetics and figurative elements. It is an art of objectification. It objectifies the graffiti subculture by synthesising it to its visual appearance. However, in this case the celebration of the self is materialised in the all-pervasive portrait of a man. A face replaces the signatures or ‘tags’, as known in the graffiti lingo. This way abstract identities give way to a tangible one.

Since its origins graffiti has evolved and developed according to the societies in which it operates. Nowadays, graffiti has also become a marketable experience of urban crowds and has undeniable gained a foothold in the world of art. Harrington’s art seems to reinterpret graffiti by including and excluding essential elements of the subculture. From the street galleries to the art galleries the shouts from the wall provide evidence and participate in the dialectic relationship between the city and its people.


Conor Harrington's official website