Giving Voices to the Voiceless: Is Graffiti Art or Vandalism?

Can street art be a catalyst for social change?

When Damel Carayol first saw images of the graffiti that had appeared overnight in Oxford Circus Underground Station, he was lost for words.

On Boxing Day 2020, the station was found covered in various artwork – but for many, the standout piece of graffiti was the mural dedicated to the victims of the Grenfell Tower Fire.

Seventy-two people were killed in the tragic incident, after the tower block in North Kensington was consumed by a blaze in 2017.

Carayol, who is one of the directors of Humanity For Grenfell, a support group for survivors, bereaved families, and members of the local community, lost two close relatives to the fire – his cousin and her daughter.

He felt that this graffiti brought much needed attention to what remains an ongoing issue.

Courtesy of LDNGraffiti

Courtesy of LDNGraffiti

Courtesy of LDNGraffiti

Courtesy of LDNGraffiti

Courtesy of LDNGraffiti

Courtesy of LDNGraffiti

Courtesy of LDNGraffiti

Courtesy of LDNGraffiti

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Courtesy of LDNGraffiti

Courtesy of LDNGraffiti

Courtesy of LDNGraffiti

Courtesy of LDNGraffiti

Courtesy of LDNGraffiti

Courtesy of LDNGraffiti

Courtesy of LDNGraffiti

Courtesy of LDNGraffiti

He said: “Grenfell isn’t an event that occurred in the past – something that happened and is now gone.

“It’s ongoing. It’s ongoing for the Grenfell community, for people who still live in high-rise blocks, for those who can’t sell their properties because they have the same cladding… but it also should be ongoing for everyone else, even those who weren’t directly impacted.”

Humanity For Grenfell works with other groups, such as Justice4Grenfell, to seek out the truth about what happened before, during, and after the fire.

It was initially set up by Carayol's cousin, who sadly died December, 2020.

Carayol said: “We want change – the changes that need to take place for everyone now and for everyone in the future.”

He said that artwork, such as the graffiti which appeared at Oxford Circus, helps with the fight for justice.

He added: “Whatever form it appeared in, the art highlighted the issue and brought it to the attention of those who need to hear it.”

The notion of the message being more important than the means was one shared by several social media users.

One commented: “If you're honestly complaining about clean-up costs of some graffiti and ignoring the message that was Justice For Grenfell, you need to have a word with yourself.”

Others expressed the belief that graffiti artwork is more effective than other forms of protest, with one user writing: “This could and should catch on. It reaches much further than all the ignored walks.”

However, the graffiti, which also included the message “Covid lies” and the letters “DDS” and “TVZ,” which are believed to be the tags of the artists, faced significant backlash on social media as well.

One user wrote on Twitter: “It's not artwork, it's criminal damage.”

Others requested disciplinary action, with one commenting: “I hope that if the vandals are caught, they are dealt with severely – this is outrageous.”

London Underground has previously estimated that graffiti clean-up expenses cost them a minimum of £10 million per year.

Oxford Circus: Image Courtesy of LDNGraffiti

Oxford Circus: Image Courtesy of LDNGraffiti

Oxford Circus: Image Courtesy of LDNGraffiti

Oxford Circus: Image Courtesy of LDNGraffiti

Oxford Circus: Image Courtesy of LDNGraffiti

Oxford Circus: Image Courtesy of LDNGraffiti

This debate over whether graffiti is art or vandalism is a long-standing one, as well as a topic which curator Bolanle Tajudeen said she could discuss for hours on end.

She grew up near Grenfell Tower, and so could speak to some of the impacts this graffiti had and would have on the surrounding communities.

Tajudeen said: “When I first saw the artwork at Oxford Circus, my first thought was I haven’t seen graffiti like this since the late 90s. People don’t have the opportunity to tag train stations anymore – they’re so populated nowadays, there’s so much CCTV…

“Of course, language is subjective, but I wouldn’t say the graffiti was vandalism. It’s just not how I see it.

“I thought it was really impressive. It highlighted very important issues – the lack of accountability and lack of transparency that still surrounds Grenfell.”

She added that she appreciated that the artists had chosen to place the graffiti in Oxford Circus, rather than nearer the site of the tragedy.

She explained: “It would be quite triggering I think, if it was nearer Grenfell.

“Instead, it was done in a station used by tourists, bankers, white collar city workers… For me, the message outweighs the delivery. It was very powerful.”

Tajudeen was recently involved in the creation of a Black Lives Matter mural, so has her own experience in politically aware and socially conscious street art.

Commissioned by Kensington and Chelsea Art Week, Tajudeen curated ‘We Are One Family #BLM’ – which was created by artists Linett Kamala and Azarra Amoy on Freston Road.

Kamala said: “I was so surprised and pleased with how it turned out.

“People have been so grateful, saying they have always been overlooked in North Kensington and thanking us for doing something in the area.”

“It’s transformed what was seen as an unloved, neglected part of the neighbourhood into something beautiful. People smile when they pass now.

“It’s lifted the mood – which is why we wanted to do it as well, with the Black Lives Matter movement being really emotionally challenging for a lot of people.”

'We Are One Family #BLM' / Courtesy of Edwin Ingram

'We Are One Family #BLM' / Courtesy of Edwin Ingram

The Freston Road mural differs from the Oxford Circus one as it was commissioned, meaning its creation was entirely legal.

Under the Criminal Damage Act 1971, the Grenfell Tower graffiti was technically illegal - the dangers of which Kamala is sadly all too familiar with.

When she was 17, a boy from her neighbourhood died in a tragic accident while creating graffiti at a train station. She vowed then and there that she would strive to ensure no one would lose their life in this way again.

Therefore, after attending art college and training as a teacher, Kamala set up Kamala Arts – a company which educates young people, makes street art safer for them, and works with local councils to organise ‘free walls,’ which are spaces where artists can produce graffiti legally.

Kamala said: “I make the difference between commissioned graffiti and non-commissioned graffiti very clear to the young people I work with – you either have permission or you don’t, so it’s either legal or it isn’t.

“I would never lecture them about it, though. I believe in giving people the information and letting them make their own choices – I just want to try keep them safe.”

Courtesy of LDNGraffiti

Courtesy of LDNGraffiti

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Courtesy of LDNGraffiti

Courtesy of LDNGraffiti

When it comes to creating graffiti for social change however, Kamala highlights the power of street art – even, and often especially, when made without permission.

She said: “It’s about the audacity of where things are. Take the Grenfell Tower mural at Oxford Circus – that will have been incredibly difficult to achieve. There are high voltage tracks, trains incoming…

“These people risked their lives to put their message out there, so it’s clear how passionate they are about what they’re saying. It gets people thinking.

“I think a lot of the time graffiti is about the people who feel they don’t have a voice that’s being listened to.

“When you see things on a street, you don’t have a choice but to look at it. There’s something powerful there – you can’t avoid it.

“You look, and hopefully, you listen.”

Oxford Circus Images: Courtesy of LDNGraffiti

Featured Image: Courtesy of Edwin Ingram

Linett Kamala: 'We Are One Family #BLM' / Courtesy of @linett_kamala

Linett Kamala: 'We Are One Family #BLM' / Courtesy of @linett_kamala

Linett Kamala: 'We Are One Family #BLM' / Courtesy of @linett_kamala

Linett Kamala: 'We Are One Family #BLM' / Courtesy of @linett_kamala