Seaside graffiti is more than meets the eye

Story and Photos by Reynaldo Cantü

Admirers of modern art and culture are in for a visual feast at a public exhibition that never closes. This ‘gallery’ is miles of seawall bursting with vibrant graffiti.

The seawall, running along the East China Sea coast, is a miles-long exhibit of graffiti. The variety is great, as is the quality of execution, form and design. Some stretches, particularly between Sunset Beach and Ginowan Beach are masterful.

Whether modern forms of graffiti can be considered art is arguable, although avant-garde galleries in New York and other cosmopolitan cities have accepted it as such. Street artists like Jean-Michel Basquiat, who rose to meteoric fame in the 90s, have garnered worldwide admiration.

The term “graffiti” means scratches in Italian and originated with the incising of words, phrases or images in pillars, public walls or works of art in the heyday of the Roman Empire. Evidence of graffiti is also found in Phoenician and Grecian era ruins. A graffiti “tag” can also be likened to a “chop,” which is the mark an artist in China or Japan uses to identify his or her work.

The meaning of graffiti has come a long way since the early 70s. Once considered the work of vandals who marred the landscape with obscene scrawling and depictions, it now comes in many varieties recognized for enhancing it.

This art form appears to be sanctioned on the seawall, removing it from the realm of vandalism and adding to the beauty of a springtime seaside walk. Written messages are often positive, wishing happy birthday or farewell, even declarations of love and desires for peace.