Graffiti hunter WORRIN: Vienna as a living art stage of street art!

Graffiti hunter WORRIN: Vienna as a living art stage of street art!

Josefstadt, Österreich - Stefan Wgrin has a very special view of the streets of Vienna. He has been active as a graffiti hunter for almost 25 years and has set himself the task of capturing the transient art form in the capital. In 1999 he founded the "Spraycity" website, which now presented over 150,000 pictures of graffiti. This platform not only serves as an archive, but also shows the development and diversity of the graffiti scene in Vienna.

Every other day, Wgrin goes on a discovery tour through the city area, from the lively banks of the Danube Canal to the quiet corners of the central cemetery. "Graffiti is transient art," he says, and that is exactly why it is important to him to document every work. Each picture is categorized carefully and the location is given so that interested parties can visit the works of art themselves. Wogrin observes a positive trend: graffiti promotes urbanization and brings people together. In recent years, the Danube Canal has changed from a rather dreary place to a living urban hotspot, thanks to the colorful works of art that are visible here.

The development of graffiti art in Vienna

The roots of graffiti in Vienna go back to the 1980s. At that time the first legal graffiti campaign took place in 1984, initiated by the Viennese with artists such as Phase2 and Delta2. Since then, the scene has continued to develop. Many legal spray areas have been created and the city of Vienna is more open to graffiti by releasing numerous kai walls and even tolerating illegal sprayers. The Viennese graffiti scene has developed into an international attraction that attracts artists from all over the world. This is also confirmed by wiener-online.at , which understands the lively development of the scene.

WOGRIN also has the option of organizing graffiti workshops for schools and adults. This is not just about your own creative work, but also a better understanding of the cultural meaning of this art form. It is particularly exciting that graffiti in Vienna is often kept in a naive, childish style, which forms a significant contrast to more aggressive styles in other cities like New York. This is part of the unique identity of the Viennese graffiti culture and is also visible in the over 22 existing legal spray areas.

graffiti as a sign of liveliness

Stefan Wgrin observed with great interest on how graffiti is increasingly displaced by street-like, which often includes large-scale murals and figurative representations. This is part of a change in public perception and sets new standards for art in the urban room. Wrin is convinced that there is no "perfect graffiti" because the perception of art always remains subjective. Nevertheless, he sees clear differences between the works of professionals and lay people. A graffiti that particularly impressed him dates from 1984 in Floridsdorf and shows how art has faded over the years but still preserved.

In many districts, such as in Josefstadt, there are less large graffiti, but many small art installations in winding streets. An example of the current graffiti culture is the "Wiener Wand" in the Schönbornpark, which produces new works every week. However, there is not only joy in the street artists. A large advertising graffiti in Pfeilgasse recently caused resentment because it has covered local works and shows that not every Grafitti fan agrees to the changes in the scene.

In the end, the graffiti hunter's graffiti hunter remains to find the conversation with residents and artists and to promote legal areas for creative work. The Viennese graffiti culture comes alive on its platform spraycity.at-a sign of the deeply rooted connection between art and urban life.