The Art of the Buff: Graffiti Removal & Its Impact

This archive explores the multifaceted world of ’the buff’ – the removal of graffiti and street art. We delve into the perspectives of artists, city officials, and community members, examining the impact on urban spaces and the ongoing dialogue surrounding public art. From the techniques used to remove paint to the implications for artistic expression, we unravel the complexities of this often-overlooked aspect of urban culture. Discover stories of resilience, artistic innovation, and the ongoing struggle for visibility in the public realm.

Sydney: McGee Wall to be Buffed!

Sydney City Council has been accused of vandalism after visiting American artist Barry McGee has controversially painted the wrong wall! As I just read on Yahoo News (thanks to Skalitzers for the link!), McGee painted a wall by mistake when he visited Sydney for the Art & About festival that takes art out of the gallery setting and into the streets: Critics are claiming Barry McGee’s artwork is glorified vandalism. The art community supports the work saying taste in art is personal. ...

Buffing Nazi Graffiti

Anti-Nazi Action | Irmela Mensah-Schramm is well known in Berlin for her effort against Nazi symbols, signs and slogans in public space. The 65 years old anti-fascist graffiti-grandma documents Nazi graffiti and stickers before she buffs them and is in that way a perfect example for modern anti-fascist work. Vincenzo Caruso and Fabrizio Mario Lussu are currently working on a video documentary called “The Hate Destroyer” about her work, the ideals and Nazi graffiti in general! ...

Favela Painting, Team Robbo & Modern Buff Chemicals

What an amazing weather today! For that reason and my meeting with stencil artist Indigo this afternoon, there’s only time for another urban art eye candy edition… This week I collected very interesting info about new graffiti and street artworks, interviews with infamous artists and quite nice urban art impressions from around the world. Have fun while skimming through the links! Favela Painting - About 30 houses (7,000 sq meters) of hillside favela in Rio De Janeiro were transformed into a huge community art project. ...

Graffiti Buffing in Gallery?!

What a great idea! As a part of the Creative Sydney festival, which was a series of free public art events, held from 5 to 13 June at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Circular Quay in Sydney, a graffiti live-buffing took place. In the center of attention was a nice graffiti mural, created by the graffiti artists Beastman, Max Berry, Numskull, Phibs and Roach… The mural was painted prior to the event and then buffed by Sydney Council during the event…to the surprise of the crowd who were expecting live art. It seems like this was a demonstration of not only the quality of Sydney/ Australia’s street and graffiti artists, but also a protest against Sydney Councils stance on public art. (verynearlyalmost.com) In my opinion this was a great action and a alternative protest, catching the attention of the media. What do you say? ...

Buffed Graffiti Exhibition in Zurich?

Wow, there will be an stunning graffiti art exhibition in Zurich tomorrow! I was really excited when I saw these amazing buffed graffiti artworks first… Thierry Furger presents his “Buffed Paintings”, which show - as the name implies - graffiti pieces that look like recently buffed. This is his way to deal with the transience of graffiti: “Often graffiti is gone within a few hours. Removed by cleaning crews, repainted by other sprayers or destructed by time and weather, because no one is responsible for their preservation. For that reason, the writer has to learn to deal with the almost self-evident ephemerality of his pictures…” (press release) ...