Street Art vs. Graffiti
The gentrification of the Brooklyn neighborhood Williamsburg and other parts of New York City is causing a conflict among street artists and graffiti writers.
The work of street artists is now being covered over by graffiti and taggers who don t like to see the gentrification of the areas. The latest arrivals to the area are condos, which are being rapidly built and occupied, and changing the dynamic of the area. (Carolyn Cole / LAT)
A mural and graffiti share a wall along South 4th St. in Brooklyn’s Williamsburg neighborhood.
Street artists treat graffiti as colorful backdrops, but not as art. Graffiti represents a rebellious street culture that thrived in New York in the 1970s. Graffiti writers practice a wild, more elaborate style of letters blended with different colors, while street art usually depicts everyday life in the neighborhood. (Carolyn Cole / LAT)
In Williamsburg along Bedford Street, murals and graffiti cover many of the neighborhood walls. (Carolyn Cole / LAT)
A woman and her daughter walk by a large mural on South 4th St. in Williamsburg. (Carolyn Cole / LAT)
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Isabelle Morax and her daughter Mona Schiff, age 9, ride by a mural in Williamsburg where they live. Isabelle is from France and says “what I like most is the mix of people and the kind of underground scene. It’s relaxed and alive at the same time.” (Carolyn Cole / LAT)
Murals, condominiums, and graffiti compete for space in Brooklyn’s Williamsburg area. (Carolyn Cole / LAT)
Popular street art images cover a door in the SoHo distric of Manhattan near Spring Street. Some of the buildings in the area which used to be a canvas for graffiti and street art are being turned into condominuims. (Carolyn Cole / LAT)
Business suits and graffiti are common in Brooklyn’s Williamsburg area. Alyssa Morales, 4, left, and Jose Orsini, 4, right, play on the sidewalk. (Carolyn Cole / LAT)
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In SoHo district of Manhattan, local street artists and graffiti artists have left their mark. Some of the buildings along Spring Street, which used to be a canvas for graffiti and street art, are being turned into condominuims. (Carolyn Cole / LAT)
In Manhattans Nolita neighborhood, outside SoHo, 11 Spring St. was once a showcase of illegal street art and graffiti but is now being turned into multimillion-dollar condos. (Carolyn Cole / LAT)
