Moving beyond Banksy and Fairey: Interrogating the co-optation and commodification of modern graffiti and street art

Abstract

This editorial reviews the co-optation and commodification of modern graffiti and street art. In so doing, it analyses attempts by individuals and organizations to monetize the creation, production and dissemination of graffiti and street art. The commodification process often starts with attempts by graffiti and street artists to earn money through their work and then progresses to efforts primarily by cultural industries to integrate graffiti and street art into the products and services that they sell. This latter development can also include how selected property owners and real-estate developers invite artists to create works in or on their buildings or in particular neighbourhoods to make the areas more desirable. After the authors have established this context, they draw together the divergent themes from the four articles contained in this Special Issue.