Graffitiare writing or drawings that have been scribbled, scratched, or painted illicitly on a

wall or other surface, often in a public place. In modern times, paint (particularlyspray paint)
andmarker penshave become the most commonly used graffiti materials. In most countries,
marking or painting property without the property owner's consent is considered defacement
andvandalism, which is a punishable crime. Graffiti may also express underlying social and
political messages and a whole genre of artistic expression is based upon spray paint graffiti
styles. Withinhip hop culture, graffiti have evolved alongsidehip hop music,b-boying, and
other elements. Unrelated to hip-hop graffiti,gangs use their own form of graffiti to mark
territory or to serve as an indicator of gang-related activities.

The first known example of "modern style" graffiti survives in the ancient Greek city ofEphesus(in modern-dayTurkey). Local guides say it is an advertisement
for prostitution. Located near amosaicand stone walkway, the graffiti shows a handprint that vaguely resembles a heart, along with a footprint and a number.
This is believed to indicate that a brothel was nearby, with the handprint symbolizing payment.

The modern-day graffiti artist can be found with an arsenal of various materials that allow for
a successful production of a piece.This includes such techniques asscribing. However,
spray paintin aerosol cans is the number one medium for graffiti. From this commodity
comes different styles, technique, and abilities to form master works of graffiti. Spray paint
can be found at hardware and art stores and comes in virtually every color.

Graffiti may also be used as an offensive expression. This form of graffiti may be difficult to locate, as it is mostly removed by the local authority (as councils
which have adopted strategies of criminalization also strive to remove graffiti quickly). Therefore, existing racist graffiti is mostly more subtle and

at first sight, not easily recognized as "racist". It can then only be understood if one knows the relevant "local code" (social,
historical, political, temporal, and spatial), which is seen as heteroglotand thus an 'unique set of conditions' in a cultural context.

A 2006 exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum displayed graffiti as an art form that began in New York's outer boroughs and reached great heights in the early 1980s
with the work of Crash, Lee, Daze, Keith Haring, and Jean-Michel Basquiat. It displayed 22 works by New York graffiti artists, including Crash, Daze, and
Lady Pink. In an article about the exhibition in the magazine Time Out, curator Charlotta Kotik said that she hoped the exhibition would cause viewers to rethink
their assumptions about graffiti. Terrance Lindall, an artist and executive director of the Williamsburg Art and Historic Center, said regarding graffiti and the
exhibition:
"Graffiti is revolutionary, in my opinion", he says, "and any revolution might be considered a crime. People who are oppressed or suppressed need an outlet, so
they write on wallsit's free."