Arts in the Street - The Museum of Contemporary Art - Los Angeles

This summer I made the mistake of being in Los Angeles.  I killed some time by visiting the Art in the Streets exhibition ($10 admission; runs until 8/8/11) at the Museum of Contemporary Art’s extension building, the Geffen Contemporary, which is in Japantown.  What follows is a critique of the exhibit and street art from someone whose knowledge and experience of the subject is very limited (to once spray painting the walls of my high school). 

Paying to see street art displayed inside of a renowned museum evokes irony.  Street art, almost by definition, is most always displayed in public places (though sometimes on private property), and those that see it must rarely pay to do so (though sometimes they must pay to have it removed).  Also, a piece displayed in a museum often conveys obsoleteness, which is not the case with street art.  Regardless, the MOCA has done civilization a favor by offering people the option of paying to see impressive works of street art displayed in a museum. 

Here are a few of the pieces on display:

 

 

 

Some in the street artist community are upset with current artists (such as Banksy) partaking in the MOCA exhibit, and are frustrated with the MOCA for displaying the works of bygone graffiti artists whom may have objected to their work being displayed in the MOCA galleries (Basquit ((who died from a heroin overdose; that’s my boy)), for instance, may have objected to his display). 

After analyzing the reasoning of street artists opposed to the MOCA exhibit, I began to sympathize with their opposition.  It seems that graffiti and street art, inherently and/or by cultural evolution, is anti-establishment and represents a form of resistance against the state and the forces that run it.   The MOCA, with its yuppie donors pouring in funds from the valley, is certainly an establishment entity (if street artists were to place street art on the MOCA exterior, they’d be arrested if caught by the police).  So how are you gonna put street art inside of a museum and still call it street art?  You can’t because it isn’t.  You have to pay $10 to see erstwhile street art indoors.  But it’s worth it.   

Despite confinement, it’s still art to be appreciated, and the Art in the Streets exhibition offers significant benefits to the community.  It’s impressive enough to inspire some people to start doing street art. (Stay away from the mom and pop stores.)  And perhaps next time the soccer mom with the big tits will sympathize with the arrested street artist. (Beware the cougar.)  Like the quality of this article, some things are both good and bad (such as Oprah narrating Life).  In conclusion, the real street artists aren’t mulling around bemoaning the politics of the MOCA, they’re out making street art.  Enjoy the rush and evade the police my friends. (And stay away from the mom and pop stores.)