By Marina Foo
Is graffiti art or vandalism? This question has been a controversial issue for decades but it really just depends who you ask. The documentary Bomb It spoke to people on both sides of the track about the explosive form of media. Director Jon Reiss travelled around the world to the cities with the best graffiti to talk to the artists, haters and removers. The first stop was New York City, the home of the art. Crossing the Atlantic, Paris was the next stop, where the youth is constantly ignored. Stopping through London, artists cleverly disguise their work to keep the fuzz off their case. Barcelona and Cape Town had the film’s most elaborate murals. Tokyo’s strict law enforcement does not stop very many
from carrying out the expressive medium. The film circles back around to the States, concluding in Los Angeles where the art serves “as a way of life” for some of the artists.
As the documentary introduces some of the artists holding the aerosol cans, the audience is able to catch a glimpse into their private life, seeing what a few of them do for a “real” job. The haters explain their side of the story to their detestation of the art.
Whatever side you may be on, Bomb It will shed a new light on graffiti as the thrills, horrors, dangers and reasons behind the lifestyles and history to the art of graffiti.
Remember to “Just drop it, bomb it.”