İstanbul Graffiti Fest spreads positive message of street art

This was the Meeting of AllStars Festival 2011, a celebration of street art that hit Taksim Gezi Park on Sunday in an explosion of color and sound.

Kicking off at 11 a.m. and continuing to 8 p.m., the festival allowed participants the opportunity to literally blast their creative flair on a 2.5-meter-high wall constructed around the perimeter of the leafy city oasis. Approximately 60 graffiti artists from all over Turkey and Europe were featured, including Amok156, Koacleo, Texas, Choma Dryhure, Repuz, Amd, Hero S2komeria, Tab, Funk, Okdose and Misk.

With an 80-meter stretch of wall set aside for amateurs not included on the VIP guest list, projects that materialized throughout the course of the day ranged from simple tags and sketches to more intricate displays and political statements. But it wasn’t all about the spray painting. As the day went on, attention turned to the BMX performances, break dancing, rollerblading and skateboard exhibitions that took place, with most of the focus devoted to the professionals showcasing their talents in a large half pipe ramp situated in the middle of the park. Power FM radio station was on-scene to provide pulsing R&B, hip hop and dubstep tracks, which were enhanced by a concert from rap artist Ramiz and a set played by DJ Funky C.

The event was first organized in 2008 in İstanbul by the Youth Council of the İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality, where over 40 graffiti artists from Turkey and beyond came together to breathe new life into a 200-meter-long platform attached to the Old Galata Bridge. The festival took a two-year break, returning this summer with the aim of becoming an annual event and providing a diverse multicultural artistic platform that will simultaneously serve to introduce and develop an understanding of graffiti art in Turkey.

Whilst graffiti art is not an alien concept in Turkey, and indeed a sharp eye on a stroll through Beyoğlu or other central neighborhoods will quickly pick up an interesting portfolio of stencil graffiti messages and political stamps, it has not developed as a vibrant art culture in the way it has in many other countries.

The municipality’s decision is thus an interesting and forward thinking one; despite the gritty street credentials and vandalism with which the graffiti movement continues to be associated, there is recognition of the positive aspects of street art as a constructive means to channel young people’s energy into a positive outlet. Whilst the last thing the municipality wants to do is encourage a wave of angst-stricken teenage spray-painters to lay siege on the city, there is an appreciation that if encouraged in controlled environments, the graffiti art culture has more than just a little potential to serve as a vibrant platform for dialogue and expression amongst younger generations in Turkey.

Despite the fact that graffiti art has been criminalized and carries heavy penalties in many European countries, there remains an endorsement of the positive aspects of the art in the form of international festivals. One such event is the Meeting of Styles, established in Germany in 2002, that has since gone from strength to strength, spreading to 16 countries throughout Europe, the Far East and even to the US.

Perhaps most influential in the changing face of graffiti, however, has been the rise to global recognition of revered graffiti artist Banksy, the mysterious, faceless Bristol-born graffiti artist, political activist, film director and painter, whose satirical stencil drawings, combining dark humor with compelling messages, have been featured on street corners and walls around the world.

As the great man himself once said, “Nothing in the world is more common than unsuccessful people with talent; leave the house before you find something worth staying in for.”

Today’s Zaman