Film: DUALITY: a graffiti story

I have spent the majority of my life in a big city, which means I am no stranger to graffiti. It seems that everywhere I turn I run into these unknown artists' names, either on abandoned buildings or cement pillars. I’m also a child of the 80-the 90s, and embarrassingly, I have associated graffiti with gang activity. However, after watching the new documentary by Ryan Dowling, I realized how many years I missed out on appreciating the urban art that colors my beloved city. 

Duality: a graffiti story takes an interesting and loving look at the complexity of street art and graffiti. Dowling talks with several artists from cities around the US; Dual Street, Sloke, Meres, Jaber, and Never. While some have chosen not to reveal their identities, we becomes aware of their undeniable yet unknown impact on the culture of urban cities. The audience is allowed unprecedented access to their inner workings as an artist and the world of graffiti, granting us permission to see these artists rise from nighttime taggers to successful professional careers.

The construction of Duality immediately challenges our stereotypes about what we think graffiti is. We are blessed with a brief history lesson, realizing that our society has been promoting street art for centuries. From Native American cave drawings to the art around the Roman cities, the human race has always used art as a way to tell stories. It was nice to be reminded of that, that art in the wild doesn’t that to be villainous. This helped set the mood for appreciation and not disgust. We also are introduced to the difference between graffiti and street art, an important difference for the artists as well as the consumer. This genre of art, however, is something that deserves time in the collective media of urban art and culture education.

It’s not long, however, that Dowling and his crew also make sure the audience doesn’t forget that graffiti is still illegal, and while the art may be beautiful, it was created while breaking the law. This is why some of the artists we meet throughout Duality will not be unmasked. The film doesn’t hide the fact that the very existence of this art form is prohibited, but it also doesn’t use that as an excuse to make it illegitimate in the art world. You can still honor art even if it’s criminal. Art is art, and creative expression is valid, no matter where the pieces are being displayed.

That’s not the point of Duality, though. The message of this documentary is that graffiti is an overlooked art form. That the meaning behind these images or the artists' names is more than just painting on concrete, it is the expression of the artist’s passion for creating. It’s about adding personality to a city, and life to the concert jungles that have grown in recent decades. As they say in the film, “A city without graffiti is a city without a soul.” 

Duality also makes sure the audience understands that the people who canvas the city in the dark are as important as the artist that would be displayed in an art museum. I might argue that these graffiti artists are more in touch with the current ebbs and flows of society, directly interacting with the real-time energy of their environment. It is with this finger-on-the-pulse connection they have to the culture that these artists have been able to expand beyond graffiti to street art. All the artists we have to meet throughout Duality may have started on in the back allies, but their work is now displayed for all to see in busy intersections or on new buildings in downtown city-scapes. If you’ve ever been to a new hip eatery or a downtown shopping district and seen a brightly painted unique mural, you have encountered the evolution of graffiti to street art. This art has given cities vibrance, extra beats of the heart of the city.

The duality, the namesake I suspect of the film, illegally created yet the heartbeat art of its environment, is what makes graffiti and street art so interesting. I never realized how fortunate I was to be surrounded by so much art growing up in a city until I watched Duality. I have a new appreciation for these artists, and now as I drive around my home, or any city I visit for that matter, I will tip my hat to these unknown artists. Their push of the boundaries of the art world has allowed our inner spirit to grow from their environmental art.

DUALITY will be available on Friday, October 21 on Amazon Video, AppleTV and iTunes, YouTube, Google Play, and Vudu.

Written by Lisa M Mejia
Images provided by buffalo 8