{The Legality of Street Art

A well know artist called Banksy painted a mural on the side of an amusement arcade which caused a legal dispute.

It was the first case in which ownership of street art was considered and it also pointed out the landlord and tenant law.

A public event was Organized by the creative foundation as part of rejuvenating the town so Banksy painted a mural on a wall then the tenant of the property organized the mural to be cut out and sold in the US without the landlords permission.

Overall as soon as an artist paints on someone else's property it then becomes theirs to own.

Who Owns Street Art

An illegal issue such as damage to property is considered as criminal damage. To prove that there is criminal damage you must prove that someone has destroyed or damaged the property with intentions to destroy or wreck it. Even if the paint can be removed and the overall value of the wall has increased it is still classed as damage to the wall.

Illegal Issues

If someone is caught applying Street art without permission from the owner they can be arrested and charged under the Criminal Damage Act and if they are found guilty they can be fined/imprisoned or both. They can be fined up to £5,000 or they can be given a community service order instead of a fine for young offenders.

If the damage is over £5,000 then the case is referred to the crown court.

Criminal Damage Act

There are local councils in the UK that provide spaces and walls for artists to produce their artwork legally.

Temporary graffiti such as ‘Tape Graffiti’ is legal but in some cases you could be charged with littering.

Legal Issues

Is Sellotape Graffiti Legal?• An Artist who goes by the name Buff Diss

uses sellotape instead of spray paint so that he can graffiti in a legal, easier and quicker way.

• Sellotape graffiti is legal as paint is not used, the entire process uses different coloured sellotape.

• The sellotape is temporary so if the authorities question him it can easily be taken down.

An artist called Ben Wilson has turned hundreds of chewing gum blobs on the streets of London into canvases and created mini pieces of Art.

This is legal as its other peoples litter that he is drawing on, he uses pens, paint and brushes to create these masterpieces.

Is Chewing Gum Art Legal?