A step above throw up in Istanbul. Graffiti and Street art!
In Istanbul, we did not see any tagging or graffiti until our last day when we wandered into the older side of town. We had headed to Galata tower and ran into a storefront/working class area. They had the typical pull down metal garage style doors that we have often seen. I remember when we first saw these types of stores and storefront closures. We were in Brazil and I thought “wow, we must have stumbled into a bad neighborhood”. I have sensed learned that these types of stores and store door closures are a very common sight in many countries and it does not reflect on what type of neighborhood you are in. I have also learned that they seem to be sought after for graffiti artists. I’m not sure of the reasons why but I would speculate that they have less chances of getting painted over or cleaned off by the city because they are private property. A graffiti artist wants their work to been seen and not erased. If you tag a public building the chances are your art, name or mark will be removed soon. If you tag, draw or paint a private owner’s business doors your work may have a longer chance of survival.
In Istanbul, we saw numerous doors with lots of what they call “throw up” on them. Throw up is two color words. Typically, it is bubble letters with a solid inner color and outlined by another color. Throw up tends to lead into more elaborate pieces. This next level is called a “Piece.” The lettering gets more unique as an artist hons his/her style. As the style transforms often other colors will be added. Also, shading can be added to give more of a depth to the artist’s work.
In Istanbul w saw many “Pieces”. We also saw a lot of work that is in that transition stage of breaking out of throw-up and becoming a “Piece.” From that point on a graffiti artist/street artist can evolve to do a masterpiece, mural or an artist. I don’t know the numbers but I’d wager that just about all street artist began with tagging and throw up. Just as with anything in life, the more you practice, the better you get. Following is what we saw while wandering the streets of Istanbul near Galata tower. Beth
