Art Crimes: The Governance of Hip Hop Graffiti

Abstract

This article explores the governmental incorporation of hip hop graffiti. It seeks to answer the question: how has governance in relation to graffiti changed? It employs the concept of governmentality to analyze how graffiti is problematized and controlled. Utilizing the rubric of governmentality reveals that although it appears that there is a softening of graffiti policy, this does not mean there is less governance. It also reveals that the increasing support for, and acceptance of graffiti, are simply the effects of the rise of a neo-liberal form of political–economic governance.