“Art doesn’t have to be pretty or quiet. In a world drowning us with noise, it’s important that some of us whisper, and some of us yell from the mountaintops.”
— Wonder
In this episode of the Durham Artist Archive, I connected with Wonder, a multidisciplinary artist whose practice includes graffiti writing, muralism, and community work. His passion for the art form is palpable. With his stories of the history of graffiti and the of reimagining barren walls as spaces of opportunity, Wonder is the only word that could arise for me as he dove into this often looked over genre- graffiti.
And while spray paint is the medium, social justice is always the message. We talked about art as resistance and the importance of building a community with depth. These are themes that come up often on the podcast but feel very different when taken in the context of an activity that can have adverse consequences.
Humans have always wanted to leave their mark on the world whether it be cave paintings or sharpie on a bathroom stall. It’s all graffiti. Exploring this culture and its impacts on a community with Wonder was a pleasure and gave me new perspective on what it means to reimagine a more just future. It might be one where politicians spray paint it out.
This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in:
The history of graffiti culture and how it appears in all political spheres
The impact of public art on a community whether it be solving interpersonal tensions, gentrification, or something else
The complexities of community building and tactics for how one does so
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Recorded at Queeny’s in Durham, North Carolina
