Graffiti art during COVID-19: community representation

This is a resource for A Level geographers studying the unit Changing Places.

Below are 28 graffiti images (and posters) which have sprung up around London during COVID-19. They are almost all celebratory and many contain messages of hope. These pieces of graffiti art show community representation during the pandemic. Representation is how a place is portrayed or ‘seen’ in society and it can vary both between places but also between people within the same place. Remarkably the messaging in all the graffiti art below appears to be very consistent and unanimous.

Art does not need to be in a world-renowned museum or by a famous painter to be a legitimate source for geographers, particularly when it is a local expression of community. In fact, graffiti art might be more reliable than other forms of art as some paintings for example are often accused of being ‘fantasies’ and divorced from reality. In contrast, the emotion and sentiment behind the graffiti art here is raw, recent and very real.

Whilst some people consider graffiti art to be a form of vandalism, many more people now recognise it as a part of mainstream culture. Recently the famous street artist Banksy painted an emotive mural in homage to the NHS frontline workers titled the Game Changer. When the artwork turned up in Southampton General Hospital it had a note attached saying "Thanks for all you’re doing. I hope this brightens the place up a bit, even if its only black and white".

As an A Level geography student, why not go around your local area taking pictures of community expression?