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Guerrilla art is astreet artmovement that first emerged in theUK, but has since spread around the world and is now established in most countries that already had developedgraffiti scenes. In fact, it owes so much to the early graffiti movement, in theUnited States guerrilla art is still referred to as 'post-graffiti art'.
Guerrilla art differs from other art forms in it has no external boundary between the image and the environment. While a traditional painting can be moved from one gallery to another without the meaning or the artistic credibility of the piece being affected, street art is environmental, the surface to which it is applied to being as fundamental to the piece's meaning as that which is applied. Without the dynamics of modern life, guerrilla art is reduced to 'art for arts sake' and would be defined bywhat it is as opposed towhat it does.
The production ofguerrilla art is focused on cause and effect, not the material piece itself. It aims to produce an effect within the minds of those people who live within the environment being altered. It does not necessarily aim to produce meaningful art in itself.
Guerrilla artists increasingly seem to be moving towards a philosophy of painting a continuous work of art, adding to it over time as less developed elements of the piece are erased by graffiti cleaning efforts or in the battle for space. Art on canvas is not guerrilla art. Although many guerrilla artists regularly produce 'trapped art', they do not generally consider it to be the same thing. This has manifested itself in a wave of new canvas styles that have a guerrilla art style, but are more comprehensive and finished. Few traditional artists would create artwork intentionally meaning for it to bemass produced with little fidelity and put up withwheatpaste. Many guerrilla artists hijack major branding for their own publicity and identity, often at odds with the brand itself. This can be seen withD*Face's hijacking of theWalt Disney signature.
It's not a movement that attempts to support or to oppose brand conditioning. It is the general public's artistic response to it.
The principles of guerrilla art have occasionally been adopted by corporations in various forms ofguerrilla marketing, particularlyviral marketing andstreet marketing. Such activity may be conducted either directly or through the use offront groups, and is used to promote a product or service.
Controversies have arisen over corporate guerrilla campaigns. In 2006, the Australian launch campaign forCoca-Cola Zero Sugar, which includedfake blogs and public graffiti, attracted significant criticism for violating ethical standards.[4][5] Similarly, in 2007, aBoston-based campaign forAqua Teen Hunger Force causeda citywide bomb scare.
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