You Can See This Art for Free on City Streets Around the World

18 January 2011

A popular spot for street art in New York's Greenwich village in 2007

BARBARA KLEIN: I’m Barbara Klein.

STEVE EMBER: And I’m Steve Ember with Explorations in VOA Special English. Today, we travel through city streets all over the world to explore street art, a popular and lively art movement.

(MUSIC)

BARBARA KLEIN: Street art can be found on buildings, sidewalks, street signs and even trashcans from Tokyo to Paris to New York City. This special kind of art can take the form of paintings, sculptures, cloth or even stickers. Its international presence is supported by Web sites, artist communities, books and magazines. Street art has become part of a global visual culture. Now, even art museums and galleries are collecting the work of street artists.

STEVE EMBER: It is not easy to provide an exact history of the street art movement. This kind of art has developed in many kinds of ways in places all over the world. Also, street artists usually work secretly because it is illegal to paint public and private property without permission. This secretive nature of street art and its countless forms make it hard to define exactly. And people have different opinions about the movement. Some think street art is a crime and destroys property. But others see this art as a rich form of non-traditional cultural expression.