Crypto
Art Advisory
By EDEN Gallery,
Posted Aug 25, 2021 ,
In Art Blog, Alec Monopoly, Graffiti, Eduardo Kobra
Tagging is one of the most recognizable and prevalent forms of graffiti art.
Tagging is a type of graffiti, and both are forms of contemporary street art. Tagging was popular in urban American cities in the late 20th century before becoming popular worldwide. There are ten main types of graffiti common on the scene today, but none is more ubiquitous with the graffiti movement as the tag.
Tagging describes the act of creating a tag, which is a type of signature or symbol that uses an artist’s name or a pseudonym. Tagging is probably the most common form of graffiti and the original style of work. A tag is usually drawn, sprayed, carved, or painted quickly and usually uses only a single color.
However, tags and tagging have become more sophisticated and expanded into more complex forms of graffiti and street art. Elevated forms of tagging include the graffiti styles known as Throw Ups, Blockbuster, Wildstyle, and Heaven or Heaven-spot graffiti. These elevated and complex forms of tagging use more color depth and additional design features. Or, in the case of heaven spot tagging, the artist must reach a more challenging location to do their tag.
Graffiti artists, known as writers, are often misunderstood by society. The earliest graffiti artists used tagging as a means of self-expression and usually one of the few means of expression available to disenfranchised urban youths.
There is motivation in the egotistical pleasure of leaving behind one’s name of legacy, be it a nom de guerre or tag. There is also a sense of rebellion and excitement that comes from tagging and doing something that can be both dangerous and illegal.
While tagging starts as a simple name, it often expands into graffiti with sharp political or societal commentary and can be said to “speak for the streets”.
Many people do not understand the point of tagging, and tags are often dismissed as vandalism. Not everyone will recognize or appreciate the different tagging styles seen on the streets today or appreciate the great lengths some tag artists will go to to create them.
Taggers are often anonymous, but they seek to be seen by the tagging community. The tag itself is the artist’s signature, so they want their name or nom de plume to be recognized.
People have long sought to leave their mark through forms of tagging. Modern graffiti tagging may seem like a 20th-century pop culture phenomenon, but tagging has been around for centuries.
There is evidence of ancient tagging on public buildings from ancient Rome and Greece, for example. Tags or names have been painted or scratched in public places for many centuries.
Another example of widespread tagging is the practice of carving your name into a tree or onto your school desk, or writing a message on a toilet cubicle. These are all common forms of tagging that had been around for many decades before graffiti as we know it took off in the 1970s and 80s.
There is a sense of competition in tagging, and artists will try to outdo one another by tagging in unusual spaces or writing over each other’s works.
Unlike street art and some other forms of graffiti art, tagging was not created for a public audience or public enjoyment. Tagging instead aims to promote the tagger’s reputation specifically within the tagging community. Tagging does not seek public approval. Instead, it focuses on the challenge and risk associated with creating the tag in the hardest-to-reach or most daring public spaces.
And tagging and graffiti writings or drawings are created in public spaces, often on private or public property. Common surface areas include city walls, storefronts, fences, subway cars, phone boxes, etc.
Tagging that is created on a canvas or other medium like a traditional artwork is known as graffiti art, but by nature, proper tagging is done illegally without permission. To create a tag, the artist must find a suitable surface and then create their tag, usually using spray paint.
Graffiti is becoming more widely accepted and is popular amongst art collectors. While it generally remains an urban and unauthorized art form, some graffiti art is now making its way into the world of high art. Some taggers or graffiti artists, such as Alec Monopoly, have exhibited worldwide and become household names.
Learn more about the differences between graffiti and tagging.
You can explore our range of graffiti art from Eden Gallery artists like Alec Monopoly or Eduardo Kobra in our galleries or our crypto art store to start your street art collection.
210x199 cm | 82x78 in
✕
Share This Artwork
140x210 cm | 55x82 in
200x210 cm | 78x82 in
188x186 cm | 74x73 in
175x140 cm | 68x55 in
200x216 cm | 78x85 in
203x241 cm | 79x94 in
Art Blog
EDEN Gallery's grand opening on 5th Avenue was a remarkable event that added a new dimension to New York City's vibrant artistic landscape. To read more, click here.
In the heart of Miami Beach, where the art world converges for the renowned Art Basel Miami, emerges a unique and mythical experience: "The Garden of EDEN" at EDEN Gallery Miami. To read more, click here.
Under the luminous skyline of New York City, the esteemed 5th Avenue is set to reveal its latest treasure—EDEN Gallery. To read more, click here.
Art forgery and authentication in the art world often present a mixture of fascinating skill, deceit, and dramatic revelations. To read more, click here.
In a landmark case shaping the dialogue around generative artificial intelligence and copyright law, a United States District Judge in San Francisco recently addressed a lawsuit involving artists and several AI companies. To read more, click here.
The climate crisis has recently become an urgent and pressing issue, with various groups employing diverse methods to draw attention to this global emergency. To read more, click here.
Symbolism in art represents a significant movement that arose in the late 19th century as a reaction against the literal representation of subjects, preferring to depict the ideas and emotions behind them. To read more, click here
Start your engines and prepare for an unparalleled fusion of high-speed thrill and high-stakes creativity at EDEN Gallery's Artistic Grand Prix in Las Vegas. To read more, click here.
In the art world, the intrigue surrounding the authenticity of artworks can sometimes overshadow the artwork itself. To read more, click here.