Graffiti writers vs. Housing and communal services, or the Battle for the Wall
Fans of wall inscriptions have always given utilities a lot of trouble. The confrontation became especially acute when such a controversial form of street art as graffiti appeared in the country. The general availability of spray cans with paint has led to the appearance of monumental works, which are not so easy to get rid of. And graffiti writers themselves, quite often, "go for the principle", defending their right to express themselves on a single flat surface.
The battle between an unknown artist (or their group) and utility workers near the passenger platform of the Rostokino MCC began back in June 2018. It was then that the wolf of Zabivaka appeared on the wall of one of the station buildings — a symbol of the World Cup held in Russia.
Employees of the municipal service, as it should be in such cases, armed themselves with a can of paint, rollers and brushes and promptly eliminated this outrage. But Zabivaka appeared again.
Habitually, with the hope that this time will certainly be the last, the persecutors of modern street art destroyed this painting as well.
The story could have ended there, but the author of the seditious "fresco" was not going to give in and gave out a new masterpiece, on top of the wall kindly prepared for work. This time it was clearly mocking.
Approximately at this stage of the confrontation, Internet users paid attention to the work of the Moscow Banksy. Photos of graffiti walls began to appear on social networks and forums, collecting a lot of comments and jokes. After the next destruction, the wolf did not appear for several months and they began to forget about him.
But on New Year's Eve, the character reappeared, and in the most up-to-date festive image. After that, the wall at the railway station turned into a full-fledged meme and many have already come to Rostokino station to see the wolf with their own eyes, as well as take a selfie with him.
And this one appeared on Valentine's Day.
Of course, all new appearances of the wolf were immediately suppressed, but this did not bother the unknown artist at all. In mid-March, 9 months after the opening of the football championship, another acute social graffiti appeared. This time the wolf was holding two babies in his arms: a crocodile and a monkey.
You do not need to have special insight to understand what is meant by children who have become the fruit of the love of foreign guests and Russian girls.
There were also graffiti with a political bias and even with a militaristic one.
For some time, the wall on Rostokino was empty, but it was closely monitored by both utilities and network users. And very soon the tenth anniversary mural appeared.
The 11th graffiti appeared on Russia Day. Thus, the confrontation of artists with public utilities has been going on for a whole year.
We are sure that the continuation follows and we will update this post with new graffiti artists' creations.
Keywords: Wolf | Graffiti | Moscow | Football | Artist | Championship