Image by bookish in north park via Flickr Where does graffiti end and urban art begin? Sometimes there is no clearcut line of separation. The San Diego Museum of Contemporary Art in downtown San Diego is hosting an interesting exhibit right now, with the work of various street artists from around the world. Some of this art has spilled out onto various walls and surfaces in the neighborhoods that adjoin the museum. Horton Plaza has a mural by Os Gemeos, (Brazilian twins,Otavio and Gustavo Pandolfo); Shepard Fairey who is known for the iconic Obama poster, has several pieces around town; and historic preservationists are up in arms over a blobby yellow "tagging" by Barry McGee on the sagging California Theatre, which has harbored homeless beneath its shadows over the last several years.That yellow taggery isn't the most attractive mural in the world, and would never be in the running against a Michelangelo or a Mario Torero, but it has indeed brought some much-needed attention to the once-glorious California Theater, which, to be fair, has been a complete eyesore in the center of town for many years. Maybe due to all the brouhaha, the city will now move a little faster to refurbish the old dame.
The installations at the San Diego Museum of Contemporary Art (housed in two buildings on Kettner) are worth a look. I enjoyed them and took copious amounts of photos (no flash, of course). I love the splashy statements of colorful art. I enjoy most graffiti but am appalled by wanna-be-artists who tag over existing murals or pristine boulders in natural settings. That's a real display of ignorance and rudeness; sort of like the three-year-old who recently took an orange sharpie to a white Berber carpet when her mom wasn't watching.
So with no further ado, click HERE to see a slide show of this fascinating exhibit.
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