For graffiti artists, abandoned skyscrapers become a canvas

The three qualities that matter most in real estate also matter the most to graffiti artists: location, location, location. In Miami and Los Angeles, cities that contain some of the most expensive real estate in the US, graffiti artists have recently made sure their voices can be heard and seen, even from the sky. In what’s known as “graffiti bombing”, artists in both cities swiftly and extensively tagged downtown skyscrapers that had been abandoned. The efforts took place over the course of a few nights in December 2023 and late January 2024, with the results generating a mix of admiration and condemnation. As someone who has researched the intersection of graffiti and activism, I see these works as major milestones – and not just because the artists’ tags are perhaps more prominent than they’ve ever been, high above street level and visible from blocks away. They also get to the heart of how money and politics can make individuals feel powerless – and how art can reclaim some of that power. TWO CITIES, TWO GRAFFITI BOMBINGS Since late 2019, Los Angeles’ billion-dollar Oceanwide Plaza – a mixed-use residential and retail complex consisting of three towers – has stood unfinished. The...