To draw on a wall, or not to draw on a wall?

It was saturday today! (Still is actually, but the sun has set by now.) What is saturday in my neighbourhood? Market day! Being sick the past couple of weeks, it had been ages since I last went. Did you know it's artichoke season? Which creates the question: should I try cooking fresh artichokes, even though cleaning them is a drag, or should I just stick to frozen ones?

On my way there, I passed through an underpass (because I live near central main roads, bleurgh!) and was hit by the smell, not of car fumes, no, but of spray paint. You know what I mean, sort of sickly sweet and a bit ozony. On the other side of the underpass (near the council housing - or worker's housing as we call it - because I live in a working class neighbourhood, yay!) I came across the youngest taggers I have ever seen (at two o'clock midday!). I think the oldest must have been eleven or barely twelve and the youngest seven or eight. Or maybe they were just all very short and young looking...

So tagging, yeah. What do you think of it? I'm all for graffiti and street art. It greatly improves the dreary dirty grey walls of my city and there are a number of good graffiti/street artists active in Athens.


Case in point:





But tagging? Not so much. It's uninspired, messy and has no discernible aesthetic merit.