Street art, often considered to be graffiti (and thus condemned), became a major part of modern art in the early 21st century and has been largely popular ever since.

Banksy, a pseudonymous British street artist, is one of this movement’s most prominent figures, due to his well-known and highly political artwork. Using a variety of mediums, Banksy creates satirical yet clever images on the sides of buildings, homes, and bridges -- whatever space he is able to find. As his artwork becomes increasingly popular, Banksy auctions much of it. His work entitled “Bombing Middle England” was sold for 102,000 pounds, the highest amount for which his artwork has ever sold. In addition to his personal success, Banksy’s meaningful artwork has caused people to become more acceptant of street art as they realize that street art is graffiti and it is by no means “trashy,” even though it is, in many cases, technically a form of vandalism.

As cities and townships cover offensive graffiti, many beautiful, expressive pieces of artwork are lost as well. The Google Cultural Institute recently began the “Street Art Project,” in which the Institute captures and uploads such street art, primarily from major locations such as New York City and London. From well-drawn cartoons to cartoons that hold a stronger political resonance, pictures are taken of impactful pieces of artwork and are uploaded to the Institute’s  website so as not to be lost. On this  website, one may browse through numerous photos of street art from different locations across the globe. This artwork, preserved on the Internet, serves as a lens into the culture and environment of many foreign locations.

Google is not the only organization working to capture street art before it is lost-- organizations such as Streets Department and Global Street Art do similar things. Streets Department, run by a man in his early twenties named Conrad Benner, serves to find street art across Philadelphia, while Global Street Art is based in London, though the organization does showcase art from many other locations as well. Global Street Art’s website states, “We think the World is slowly starting to wake up to why our cities should be painted and steps we can take to get there. We want new conversations around public space and participation. The future is painted.”

Although street art is considered vandalism and is, strictly speaking, illegal, many people want street art to be made legal. The most common suggestion involves the government allocating and selling various locations to artists so that they may create artwork freely. Unlike stereotypical graffiti, street art has the capability of bringing cities to life; the various colours, styles of drawing, and purposes behind the artwork represent the different aspects of our lives. As Banksy said in Banging Your Head Against a Brick Wall, “Graffiti is one of the few tools you have if you have almost nothing. And even if you don't come up with a picture to cure world poverty, you can make someone smile while they're having a piss.”