Even Street Artists Don’t Like Seeing Their Work Tagged

Even Street Artists Don’t Like Seeing Their Work Tagged

The chemistry is complicated, but the result is simple: products like MuralShield help protect murals and street art from graffiti, weathering, and sun damage.

Collaborative mural painted by Pose with Revok
Collaborative mural painted by Pose with Revok in 2013 on a wall at Houston and Bowery. Photo courtesy of the artists.

Why Street Art Needs Protection

Street art is often created in public spaces, which means it is exposed to weather, sunlight, demolition, and graffiti tagging.

As street art becomes more culturally significant and valuable, conservators and artists are looking for better ways to preserve murals while still respecting the nature of public art.

 

The Challenge of Preserving Public Murals

Unlike artwork displayed indoors, murals are usually painted with materials that were not designed to last forever. They are also accessible to the public, making them vulnerable to overpainting, vandalism, and environmental damage.

This makes mural preservation especially difficult. A protective coating needs to help preserve the artwork while allowing future cleaning or restoration when needed.

Defaced street art by the artist Rock Black Block
Defaced street art by the artist Rock Black Block. Photo by Paco Freire/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images.

How MuralShield Helps Protect Street Art

MuralShield is designed to help protect murals from vandals, weathering, and sun damage by preserving painted layers and supporting future restoration.

For murals at high risk of graffiti tagging, a layered protection approach may include MuralShield along with a graffiti coating that allows unwanted markings to be removed more easily.

 

Artists, Maintenance, and Mural Preservation

Some street artists choose to protect their work through maintenance, restoration, or protective coatings. Others accept that public art may eventually be altered, painted over, or replaced.

For artists, cities, and property owners who want to preserve important murals, protective products can help extend the life of the artwork and reduce damage from future graffiti.

Courtesy of ArtNet.

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