“The city’s speech”: Analysis of Novosibirsk graffiti

• Published in: Managing of Culture Vol. 4; no. 1; pp. 66 - 75
• Main Authors: Karavaeva, Darya, Kalashnikova, Kseniia
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Ekaterinburg Academy of Contemporary Art 18.04.2025
• Subjects: communication; graffiti; informal visual messages; street art; tag; urban space
• ISSN: 2949-074X
• DOI: 10.70202/2949-074X-2025-4-1-66-75

Graffiti is considered as a phenomenon of urban culture and a manifestation of informal visual communication. Graffiti refers to any inscriptions and drawings left in urban spaces, regardless of their connection to the eponymous subculture. The article emphasizes that different types of graffiti vary in content, method, and location of application, allowing graffiti to be viewed as an artifact that records the communication processes and characteristics of city dwellers. The goal is to identify the typology of informal visual messages and describe them based on their execution techniques and locations. The method used is quantitative analysis of visual data. The informational basis of the study is an archive of photographs collected from the territories of 40 schools in Novosibirsk as part of the research project "School in the Space of the Metropolis." The work pays particular attention to the relationship between graffiti and the characteristics of urban space. The means of applying graffiti are analyzed. Spray paint cans are more often used to create drawings on large surfaces, such as building walls, while markers are characterized by speed and versatility, allowing messages applied with them to appear on various surfaces, from benches to road signs. A correlation between the sizes of graffiti and their types has been noted. Subcultural graffiti is characterized by small sizes, explained by the frequent use of tags, where mass appeal is more important than visual expressiveness. Obscene and political graffiti tend to be very small, which may indicate the authors' desire to avoid attention during their application. Graffiti not only serves a communicative function but also reflects current social and cultural processes. Despite the controversial attitude towards the phenomenon of graffiti, it becomes an important element of the urban environment, capturing the current values and moods of city residents and serving as a communication channel when access to others is difficult. Urban space is not homogeneous: the choice of location for subcultural graffiti is determined by factors such as visibility and perceived "ownerlessness." This type is typically found on "urban" surfaces (garages, infrastructure objects, transformer boxes), while statements and drawings that can be attributed to "school" graffiti are more often found in places where children and teenagers spend their daily lives (school buildings, playgrounds, and sports fields).