What is "reverse graffiti" ?

It might be the coolest form of art or marketing that you’ve never heard of – reverse graffiti (or clean graffiti) is an innovative, environmentally safe and eye catching technique to advertise or simply display art.

Public walls are often coated with dirt and grime – essentially posing as a blank canvas for reverse graffiti artists wanting to make their mark with the help of a stencil and scrubbing brush or high pressure water cleaner, depending on the scale of their artworks.

The exact origin of reverse graffiti is usually attributed to English artist "Moose", although other artists have also claimed to be the pioneers of this technique.

Image Source: Nissan | Pictured: "Moose"

Reverse Graffiti as a form of Marketing

Reverse graffiti has been utilized as a form of marketing by various prominent brands such as Microsoft, Starbucks, Puma, Nissan and even PETA, and with good reason too. It's an affordable, eye-catching and eco-friendly form of marketing which I expect to see many more brands getting involved with in future.

Image Source: PETA

Image Source: Dunedin NZ

Is it legal though?

It has been the subject of many heated debates but there are still no specific laws in place to give the correct answer. Technically, it involves cleaning a public space, which is essentially impossible to prosecute in most countries or states, but certain officials may see it differently and either issue artists with a fine or prosecute them for the vandalism of public property. Companies responsible for hiring artists to execute reverse graffiti artists may also be fined.

Reverse graffiti is generally seen as a "legal" form of street art though (for the most part) because it is eco-friendly, temporary and nothing actually gets damaged in the process. Still, there are also many people who believe that this is just another form of vandalism which should not be encouraged and others who believe that brands should not be invading their public space with marketing. Where do you stand on the legal status of reverse graffiti?

Love it or hate it, I personally think that this is an awesome concept and I look forward to seeing many more reverse graffiti artworks as this technique becomes more popular around the world!

Image Source: Dutch Ink