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BY Shawn Micallef   July 02, 2008 14:07

Among Toronto’s greatest potential urban tourism draws are the patches of graffiti art around the city, including the kilometres-long “Graffiti Alley” south of Queen West going west from Spadina Avenue — one of the longest continuous “open air” art galleries in the world. However, the collateral damage associated with this work is done by the army of talent-free hacks who tag everything in sight like dogs who need to pee on all they see. Even deep in the Don Valley many interpretation and wayfinding signs have been incomprehensibly tagged, rendering them unreadable. Good graffiti, like good art, gives something back — tagging is just selfish.

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tb Jul 3, 2008 5:35P
Agreed. As Banksy would say "The time of getting fame for your name on its own is over. Artwork that is only about wanting to be famous will never make you famous. Any fame is a by-product of making something that means something. You don't go to a restaurant and order a meal because you want to have a shit." I don't mind the tags, actually, I want to know who's art it is -but be modest.
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