In this collection of essays, the various manifestations of graffiti and street art, what they represent, and how they relate to each other are explored.

Scratching the Surface examines how a piece can add something to an environment, as well as how we can appreciate it as artistically distinctive. Other questions include how to exhibit such expressions in a museum and what is lost when illegal graffiti is replaced with commissioned murals. After all, these art forms may not necessarily need or want to be institutionalized or understood.

Eight authors (Daniël de Jongh, Lene ter Haar with Robert Kaltenhäuser, Javier Abarca, Stephen Burke, Raenys Martis, Ana Maria Hernandez and Robin Vermeulen) share their professional and personal experiences with graffiti and street art, offering a range of perspectives on these art forms as well as thoughts about their potential as potent forms of expression.

Edited by Milo Vermeire and Eleonoor Jap Sam

Designed by Studio Janneke Hendriks

Published by the Mondriaan Fonds, 2024

Hardcover, 140 pages, full color, 5 × 7.5 inches

ISBN: 978-9-07-693661-1