This forum is part of a research project exploring how society treats different forms of graffiti unequally. While “street graffiti” is often criminalized and quickly removed, other forms of public marking—such as landlord notices, or guerrilla marketing stencils—are frequently overlooked or even celebrated. The project examines how these unequal responses reflect deeper issues of class, race, and social power in Canada.
A key limitation of this research is that we do not yet have formal ethics approval, which means we cannot always determine whether the photographs posted here depict “invisible graffiti,” or even graffiti at all. To clarify: we are only interested in two kinds of markings:
The commonly recognized categories include:
By contrast, our focus is on overlooked or reclassified forms of public marking. This is what we call “invisible graffiti.” These may include things like landlord or utility markings on sidewalks, spray-painted construction notations, corporate stencil advertisements, or unauthorized, neighborhood-level beautification projects in affluent areas. These markings occupy a curious space: while they are technically criminal, they are not criminalized or stigmatized in the same way that street graffiti is. "Why is that?" is the question this project aims to address.
A key limitation of this research is that we do not yet have formal ethics approval, which means we cannot always determine whether the photographs posted here depict “invisible graffiti,” or even graffiti at all. To clarify: we are only interested in two kinds of markings:
- Unauthorized markings (that is, markings made without the property owner’s permission), which in this context would be classified as graffiti.
- Markings that fall outside the categories most commonly recognized in academic literature and by the criminal justice system.
The commonly recognized categories include:
- Hip-hop style graffiti (tags, throw-ups, pieces)
- Street graffiti and murals
- Latrinalia (graffiti in bathrooms and similar spaces)
- Gang-related graffiti (territorial markers)
- Political slogans and protest graffiti
- Etching or scratching (into glass, transit windows, etc.)
- “Artistic” or stylized public art forms that cities sometimes reclassify as murals
By contrast, our focus is on overlooked or reclassified forms of public marking. This is what we call “invisible graffiti.” These may include things like landlord or utility markings on sidewalks, spray-painted construction notations, corporate stencil advertisements, or unauthorized, neighborhood-level beautification projects in affluent areas. These markings occupy a curious space: while they are technically criminal, they are not criminalized or stigmatized in the same way that street graffiti is. "Why is that?" is the question this project aims to address.
