Graffiti is a public art, displayed on the sides of buildings, bridges, and other large landmarks. Tagging is a sloppy form of graffiti, which is normally offensive, canned randomly on objects like benches, stop signs, and garage doors. In Portland, Oregon you see all sorts of graffiti art on the buildings around the city, along with a heavy amount of tagging (especially since 2020 riots).
Although tagging gives graffiti a bad name, the beautiful art made by the local artists is remarkable and admired by many. It brings color and creativity to the city, allowing some buildings and streets to come alive.
Portland is especially known for being weird, the more graffiti the better. As I visited Portland this past weekend, I drove through the streets taking appreciation for the art on the walls. Just as we are asked not to judge a book by its cover, don’t judge a building by its sidings.
