Is graffiti illegal vandalism or protected art? It could be
both.
Take the case of Joseph Tierney, known in the world of graffiti
by the pseudonym RIME. Based on an interview
he gave to Steez magazine several years ago, RIME, also known
as Jersey Joe, began painting graffiti before he went to high
school and eventually decided that graffiti art was his life's
calling.
In the interview, Tierney spoke of the legality or illegality of
his work as if it were just another artistic factor: "Each
time I spray paint, it's different. Different factors relating
to whether or not it's legal or illegal, what kind of surface
I'm painting on, how long I think I want to paint for, as well
as whether or not I'm feeling creative." One example
of his work, a video posted by an art gallery, shows him picking an
abandoned brick building for a graffiti art piece he later titles
"Vandal Eyes." By all appearances, "Vandal
Eyes" was vandalism —– a situation where Tierney
simply painted
