Graffiti has always existed as a form of expression amongst the people. Humor is often able to connect communities, sometimes even without the use of written language; who doesn’t like to laugh? Together, these tools can be used to tell subtle stories or express commonalities between individuals.
Highly visible, largely weatherproof, standardized, and easily interpretable canvases, such as road signs often find themselves vandalized in comical or political ways.
The sign pictured here used to read “NO PARKING IN THIS AREA,” but due to weathering, it is now barely legible. The graffiti artist used the fading letters and drew over specific ones to write a new message reading, “NOPE.” Does this word relate to the original message of the sign, as if to say “nope, I am allowed to park in this area,” or maybe it has nothing to do with the sign and is more a statement about the artists mental state in the moment. Perhaps it was purposefully left up to interpretation by the artist.
