Street Art in Los Angeles- Rihanna Barrera
Graffiti/Street art is a prevalent art style throughout the streets of Los Angeles. I was born and raised in this city, specifically residing in South Central and East Los Angeles. This style has carried a bad reputation with it, and many of these artists are considered vandals and not so much artists. I have found beauty in my environment with much of the art that covers the walls of my city, and I believe that graffiti is a huge part of Los Angeles culture and what influences me as an artist. All the sites I have chosen are works that I have always wanted to learn more about, as I have always seen them around and admired from a distance.
Title: South Central Dreams
Location: The exterior wall of Carlota Park Apts/ 5800 S Hoover St, South Central Los Angeles
Artist: Tlacolulokos
Background/Theme: This mural was painted by a group of Indigenous artists from Oaxaca and Mexico in 2016. It is meant to represent the diverse community of South Central and bring exposure to the Indigenous and migrants in a place that was once predominantly populated by the Black community. There are different political tattoos on the woman that portray a lot of the history in the area and with its people.
This mural can also depict how every individual has their own story and dream to pursue. This environment can be very tough to grow up in, but this mural brings a sense of hope, determination, and reflection. The bottom half of the mural was painted over due to tagging, which I believe brings a complex meaning to the graffiti world.
Graffiti can be fun and political. It is a way marginalized communities challenge authority and structural issues in society. In the article, "The Work on the Street: Street Art and Visual Culture" by Martin Irvine, it states, “Street art inserts itself in the material city as an argument about visuality, the social and political structure of being visible.” Many artists from the lower class feel the need to fight to be seen in a society that pushes them away. Graffiti taggers tend to have this feeling of taking over different areas or having their work overpower others. For some, it may be a feeling of "I was here" and marking their identity, and for others, it may be seen as vandalism. Although their taggings are site-specific, they are integrated into a culture that is experienced around the world.
Title: Forgiveness
Location: Slauson/ Hoover, Los Angeles, CA, 90037
Artist: Mike Norice
Background/Theme: The graffiti artist, Mike Norice, painted this as part of a bigger project called "Artfully United", where he wanted to create uplifting murals throughout Los Angeles. This was the first out of 20. Again, the artist is trying to represent their city in a positive aspect, as this neighborhood is known for its heavy gang violence. Many people thanked Norice for providing hope to their neighborhood and giving children positive things to look up to.
Street artists are engaged with their environment, and tags highlight the beauty and struggle of the city itself. Avoiding the hit-ups on the wall is almost inevitable, especially in Los Angeles. I had the opportunity to converse with a graffiti artist and ask a few questions. When asked, "What do you think about graffiti as a public art form?", the artist Thirst from the TSD crew replied with, "I think graffiti as a public art form can open up doors for the city to include muralists in community projects to 'clean up' the city. The act of graffiti actually gives the city a lively feeling instead of an empty lot. You are now looking at different styles, cartoons, and words." He then mentioned how he has always been happy putting his artwork up and how, as a kid, he wanted to feel as big as other artists and get recognition.
Location: An alley behind 4125 City Terrace Drive In, East Los Angeles, CA
Artist: William F. Herron
Background/Theme: Willie Herron is a Chicano street artist from East L.A who was associated with the famous artist group, ASCO. He created this mural in honor of his brother, who was killed in that exact location due to gang violence. The mural incorporates pre-Columbian, Aztlan, and Chicano graffiti styles. It was one of the earliest forms of street art until it was painted over during the 90s, when there was a wave of anti-graffiti due to the popularization of street gangs and crimes of that era. This created a spark in the community to get this mural restored from being "whitewashed" back in the 2000s. The tags from different crews and individuals add to the history of the piece and show the influence of the mural.
The photos below are graffiti works from around Los Angeles. They are examples of the different styles, cartoons, and colors that this style brings to the art world.
-Hopes is a famous graffiti artist whose work can always be found throughout LA. To me, it is a message to keep my hopes high.
I would also like to share some of my personal artwork, which carries strong influences of my Chicano community and street art culture.
Installation, mixed media on compressed plywood
2024
Background: I created this mini apartment structure as a homage to my loved ones, my childhood, and the street work that made me the artist I am today. It represents the apartment building where I spent most of my days as a kid with my grandmother. As I have mentioned, the graffiti and mural work that was very prominent in the arts district and streets of the neighborhood has inspired me to create things that others would love and appreciate the same way I did.
-Ceramic spray can -Screen printed t-shirt
Inspired by a sketch character I created years ago. I edited the sketch and have now used it in other artworks.
Title: F*CK I*E/Viscous when threatened, Attack when necessary
Digital art turned into posters
Background: I created this poster amidst the intense mass deportations and ICE kidnappings over the Summer of 2025. The dogs are a juxtaposition to the K9s that the armed forces use, and are now the same dogs who are "tearing ice apart". The use of the dogs was also the idea of how dogs can be very territorial and protect themselves when they feel threatened. It was a reminder for my people to stand strong and protect themselves and their rights.
Title: In my '64
Stained glass, solder, acrylic paint
Background: Lowrider culture is very big in the Chicano community and street culture. These classic cars take years to be built into the beautiful and creative bodies that the car owners want them to be. It is a skill and art to be able to customize your car with such enhancements and paints. I am including this piece as a way to show how diverse the term "street art" can be and to show the different ways it can be portrayed. Lowriding was once seen as a crime. Whittier Blvd, which is also known as the heart of East L.A., would constantly be blocked off to prevent car clubs from cruising the streets every Sunday. It was an attack on the community's pride and joy, but nonetheless, these cars found ways to still show out for themselves and others.
With all this being said, I believe the more work we see in the streets is a sign of more freedom of expression and an avant-garde to the political/social injustices these communities face. The history of one's environment can heavily influence the way these artworks come to life. It is a way to give back to the community and give a voice to these groups of people who are told they are not real artists.
Proposal: This art form can mean a lot to those who were raised in environments where it is common. It is a diverse community within a community. I believe these artists are viewed as vandals because they are creating work that does not fit the aesthetics of the Western European gaze. It is not considered creative by the wealthy classes and is often viewed as unworthy of being held in museums. I also believe it carries a bad reputation due to the years of systemic injustices the lower class/colored people have faced, which is why people look down on these street artworks. It is also understandable that some people may tag on areas that can be disrespectful to others, but many in the art world can separate the real artists from those who are actually vandalizing and creating a bad reputation. I would love to see more political and social graffiti work in my environment, such as the work I talked about in this blog. It is important to have more representation and bring positive visibility to our people. For example, I would love to see more "Black and Brown" murals in Downtown Los Angeles, as these hardworking people make up most of the community and are facing heavy gentrification. It would also be great to see more inspiring murals or graffiti tags.
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