Overview
Shock horror — a piece of street art has been defaced with graffiti. In what is the second incident this year for the iconic work, Keith Haring's Johnston Street mural has suffered a large black scrawl over the figures in its lower left quadrant. As the work is currently listed on the Victoria Heritage Register, those wishing to restore the piece will first have to acquire a permit before any amendments can take place. But, as always, the question remains — should they?
This much-loved local work was painted by the iconic New York street artist on his only trip to Australia in 1984. After its inevitable deterioration, and much debate from art lovers and historians alike, its restoration took place nearly 30 years later in 2013. Clear and crisp, Haring's figures have enjoyed a resurgence for the better part of the past year — it may just be the whitest and brightest wall left in Collingwood.
"Passers-by can now see the work as Keith Haring intended," said State Arts Minister Heidi Victoria at the time of restoration. Though such logic understandably leaves itself open to criticism. For instance, if Haring wanted his works pristine and untouched, why not place them in a gallery? Doing chalk drawings on the NYC subway are not the work of a man easily phased by the ephemeral.
With such a rich and iconic history of street art, Melbourne has had many such controversies over the years. In fact, Banksy's Little Diver on the Nicholas Building faced a similar fate in 2008. Five years after the stencil was created, Melbourne City Council covered the work with a perspex screen to protect the piece. Shortly after, vandals poured grey paint behind the covering and cheekily scrawled 'Banksy woz ere' atop the then defaced work. In 2010, the piece then resurfaced in the form of a paste-up — such works are in constant evolution with their environment.
Of course, not all people feel this way and many were saddened by the loss of their small aquatic friend. The boundaries between 'street art' and 'graffiti' are gloriously intertwined and many outwardly fight on the side of preservation. Just this week, Brisbane City Council faced outrage after painting over a work by Anthony Lister. In response to the erasure of his piece, the artist deemed the council "culture-killing neanderthals". Similar public disdain was expressed in 2012 when construction workers destroyed Banksy's Parachuting Rat in Prahran.
Haring's much-loved mural will almost certainly get retouched once the permits get processed. The scribble is relatively small and innocuous, but what it stands for is much larger. Should we protect the former glory of these artworks, or let them evolve and decay like the faded chalk lines on the NYC subway?
Via The Age. Bottom photo credit superk8nyc via photopin cc.