The history of street art is long, and street art activists are some of the original offenders. Even though there are still complaints about some street art, in many places murals and public paintings have become welcome parts of the community.
However, the origins of street art are quite unaccepted. The public display was used by street art activists to get a message across to the public, and usually the message was something very controversial. Check out the slideshow for more.
66 Street Art Activists
Graffiti May Have Gone Mainstream, but These Artists Did It First:
Jessica Marcel — Jan 31, 2010 — Art & Design
66
Monopoly Graffiti
Classic Game-Inspired Street Art
65
Graffiti Police
Banksy Coke Cop Is An Arresting Example Of Street Art
64
Super-Sized Street Art
Alexandros Vasmulakis' Grandiose Graffiti
63
Japanese Street Art
Remo Camerota Releases Expansive ‘Graffiti Japan' Book
62
Mona Lisa Graffiti
The Classic Painting With a Street Art Spin
61
Preteen Street Artists
10-Year-Old Solveig is Hailed as the “Female Banksy”
60
Highlighter Street Art
Judith Supine's Colortastic Creations Light Up NYC Walls
59
Graffiti Warfare
Weapon-Inspired Street Art
58
Chalked Shadow Street Art
Ellis Gallagher Brings the Streets of New York to Life
57
Dr. Seuss-Inspired Street Art
Quirky Cartooning Channels Childhood Icon
56
Corporate Lowbrow Support
Nike Brings Street Art to Their TPE 6453 Creative Space
55
Guerrilla Street Shadows
Katie Sokoler's Playful Street Art Project
54
Skeletal Street Art
Anatomically Correct Graffiti
53
Expressive Street Art
Interactive Vandalism by Mentalgassi Features Funny Faces
52
Fine Art Graffiti Artists
Charming Baker's Paradoxical Street Art in London
51
Secret Street Art Shows
Banksy Exhibition in Bristol Brings it Back Home
50
Love Sharing Street Art
French Artist Remed Uses Walls to Celebrate Life
49
Dark Shadow Street Art
Sam3 Brushes The Streets of Spain With His Counter-Culture Touch
48
Triumphant Street Art Sites
Nysat Website Launches After Group Overcomes Lawsuits
47
Geotagged Graffiti
Street Art Fans Use Google Maps Street View to Locate Best Pieces in UK
46
Sweet Street Art
Maria Imaginario's Gooey Lisbon Graffiti
45
Quirky Doodled Street Art
20-Year-Old Graffiti Artist Takes His Talent Outdoors
44
Disfigured Street Art
Morbid Portraits of Pop Icons
43
Iconic Street Artist Arrests
Despite Fame, Shepard Fairey Busted for the 15th Time
42
Mean Street Art
Little Girl Trapped Behind A Grate By Dan Witz
41
Activist Street Art
Fauxreel's 'The Unaddressed' Addresses Homelessness in Toronto
40
Naughty Disney Subversion
Street Artist Creates Mickey Mouse as You've Never Seen Him Before
39
Street Art of Kids Classics
"Where the Wild Things Are" Gets a Pure Evil Graffiti Touch
38
Politically Powerful Street Art
Cash4 Uses Words, Simple Images in Political Graffiti
37
Street Art Porcelain
All City Graffiti Dishes Let You Add Sass and Class to Your Hip Loft
36
Girly Street Art Sneakers
Fafi by Adidas Collection Highlights Female Graffiti Artists
35
Calligraffiti
Calligraphy Meets Street Art in These Beautiful Works by Shoe
34
Street Artist Disguises
D*Face As A Council Worker
33
Gritty Graffiti Gear
Jon Naar & Stussy Make Street Art-Approved Shirts
32
Street Art Showcases
‘Whole in the Wall' Exhibition in New York Features Great Graffit
31
Flaming Graffiti
Fire Tagging NYC Street Artists Set Their Graffiti Ablaze
30
Falling Foxes
Street Artist Bonom Makes Building Length Graffiti
29
Street Art Collectives
Burning Candy
28
Street Art Museums
The Ephemeral Museum in Lisbon
27
Street Art Cartoon Makeovers
BLOC28 by Disney
26
Digital Requests for Graffiti
SMS Your Message to Palestinian Street Artists for the West Wall
25
Paint-Dripping Cars
BMW Krink Mini Gets Street Wise With Street Art
24
Norwegian Street Art
Government-Funded Graffiti
23
Urban Protest Art
The Anti-Gentrification Street Art in Alabama is Something Worth Fighting For
22
Street Artist Appreciation
Shepard Fairey's Print Retrospective at Merry Karnowsky Gallery
21
Subversive Street Art
Sir X Blends Whimsy & Scathing Social Commentary
20
Street Art Interventions
D.Billy Uses Art to Humorously Interact With the Streets
19
Street Art Spray Can Invasions
Subversive Urban Art by DFace
18
Conversational Street Art
Dave the Chimp's Unusually Sociable Graffiti Ethos
17
Stunned Street Art
Alsacherie's Unusual Poster Children at the KKO Festival
16
Dummiefied Installation Art
Mark Jenkins Street Art Provokes Thought
15
Illuminated Graffiti
New Guerrilla Street Art From Posterchild Fights City Debate
14
Self-Evaluation Street Art
The Sidewalk Psychiatry Project
13
Graffiti Notebooks
Scratchpad Features Blank NYC Walls for Your Street Art Homework
12
Mixed-Media Street Art
Zach Johnsen's 'The Wanderers' Blends Psychedelic Cartooning and Graffiti
11
Crowd-Sourced Graffiti
Cape Town Election Street Art Spurs Activism Through Stencils
10
Skeleton Street Art
Macabre Outdoor Creative Inspiration
9
Graffitied Offices
D*Face Gives Magazine HQ A Cloudy Street Art Makeover
8
'Guess Who?' Graffiti
Kids' Board Game Gets a Street Art Touch From Surplus Bargains
7
Giant Mouth Street Art
The ‘Big Mouth Project' by D*Face
6
South American Street Art
Gualicho's Graffiti is Colorful and Imaginative
5
Edgy Easter Street Art
Above's ‘AIG Easter Egg Hunt' Parodies Financial Bailouts
4
Repetitive Skywriting
'Cloud' by Ron English Takes Street Art Skyward
3
Pixacao Protests
Graffiti Artists Deface Street Art Exhibit
2
Social Commentary Graffiti
Street Art Comments On Bristol's Drinking Laws
1
Lyrical Graffiti
'Bittersweet Symphony' as Told Through Street Art
Related Ideas
Temporary Luxury Brand Installations
Burberry's Landscape Series Produces Site-Specific Art
Raunchy Anime-Inspired Exhibitions
Manuela Soto Sosa's Exhibition is Unveiled at DOMICILE TOKYO
Colorful Ambassador-Led Global Campaigns
Vans Recently Launched the This is Off the Wall Campaign
Illustrative 420 Campaigns
Vizie Unveils His Latest Work for Grassroots' 420 Campaign
Augmented Reality Travel Murals
Tripadvisor's City Murals Entice People to Sunny San Diego
Oil Painting-Inspired Rugs
Antonio Santín Presents a New Collection of Intricate Rugs
AI-Generated Topic Art
'The Art of Trending’ Creates AI Artwork From Topics Trending on Twitter
Abstract Toronto Home Shows
Elte Fine Art is a New Bi-annual Exhibition Series
AI-Generated Soup Can Art
The Campbell’s 'pAIntings' Initiative is Inspired by Artistic Greats
Apocalypse Post Pandemic Art
The Apocalypse Inspired a New Collection of Paintings by Mishfit
Inclusive Skincare Campaigns
Vaseline Launched Mended Murals Aim to Care for Skin of Color
Carbon-Absorbing Street Murals
Volkswagen Canada Lauched a Pollution-Eating Mural in Toronto
Mesmerizing Avant Garden Collections
Sprayground Unveils New Range with a New Handbag Silhouette
Rediscovered Iconic Masterpieces
A Long-Lost Work from Gustav Klimt Will Embark on a Global Tour
Artist-Inspired Sweaters
The Lee® X Basquiat™ Printed Sweater Fuses Collage and Graffiti Elements
Cosmic-Themed Art Exhibitions
Awol Erizku’s Newest Exhibition Has Space, Basketball, and Hip Hop
Spray-Painted Logo Sneakers
Nike Unveils Its New Blazer Mid ’77 with Spray-Painted Logo
Graphic Garment-Dyed Streetwear
Stüssy and Levi's Join on a New Collection Together
Vibrant Design Collections
Ali Beletic and Her Studio Launch the Neon Primitivism Series
AI-Generated Art Galleries
Amsterdam’s New Art Gallery Displays Artwork Made by AI
Psychedelic Sculptural Art Installations
The Frank Stella: Recent Sculpture Exhibition Opens in NY
Street Art Metaverses
LG OLED & Shepard Fairey Teamed up for a Frieze Los Angeles Exhibition
Sporty Collaborative Graphic Streetwear
Off-White and Nike Continue to Work in Collaboration
Mystery Artist Graphic Novels
His Name is Banksy is an Upcoming Graphic Novel of the Artist
Sleek Graffiti-Adorned Sneakers
Off-White™ and Nike Unveil Their New Air Force 1 Mid Collaboration
Paper-Made Mosaic Artwork
The 'Real Life Architecture' Exhibition by Ilhwa Kim is Enthralling
Artist-Collaboration Limited Streetwear
André Saraiva Joins Axel Arigato on a New Collection
Immersive Back-to-School Pop-Ups
Sprayground's NYC Pop-Up Invites Visitors to Travel Back in Time
Traveling Fine Art Campaigns
EasyJet's Get Out There Features Mona Lisa, The Thinker and More
Hip Hop Fashion Exhibitions
MFIT Presents Fresh, Fly, and Fabulous: Fifty Years of Hip Hop Style
Heritage-Honoring Artful Posters
Herman Miller Adds to the Archival Poster Collection
Creativity Time Capsules
Crayola's Campaign for Creativity Reunites Adults with Childhood Art
Manga-Style Exhibitions
Hisashi Eguchi Debuts First-Ever Solo Exhibition NO MANNER
Street Art-Style Cookies
Cookie Plug Combines Graffiti, Street Art & Hip-Hop Culture
Glowing Movie Campaign Murals
Paramount Creates a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Mural
Artist-Inspired Dynamic Basketballs
round21 Designs Basketballs Inspired by Basquiat and Haring
Skateboard-Inspired Stamp Collections
USPS Announces Unique Stamps Celebrating Skateboard Culture
Perception-Challenging Art Exhibitions
Raise the Moral Studio Presents the Becoming Familiar Show
Artificial Artwork Galleries
'Artificial Imagination' Showcases the Capabilities of DALL-E 2
Playful Public Seating Designs
The London Festival of Architecture Boasts a Series of Seats
Museum-Approved Artist Collaborations
The Museum of Graffiti is Unveiling Three Exclusive Collabs
Burgeoning Psychedelic Art Movements
The Chambers Project/PACT Embrace the Psychedelic Movement
Rapper-Starred Fall Fashion Campaigns
Mallet London Taps Ghetts for Local Legends Campaign
Sportswear Imprint Art Exhibitions
adidas Originals Presents the Originals Newcastle Exhibition
Spray Can Fragrances
Step Aboard's Chicago Perfumes Pay Homage to Works of Art
Pixelated Photographed Art Exhibitions
Charles Gaines Presents the New Southern Trees Installation
Tree-Integrated Mysterious Art
Banksy Unveils a Mysterious Tree Mural in London's Finsbury Park
Renter-Friendly Wallpaper Collections
Otto Studio & Tierney Milne Created Peel-and-Stick Decor
Global AI Art Contests
Shutterstock and the UN Partner for the Canvas of the Future
Artistic Auto Showcases
The 20th BMW Art Car Was Unveiled at the Guggenheim Museum
Sustainable Artist-Inspired Shoes
Cariuma Presents a New Series of Sneakers Inspired by Van Gogh
Playful Creativity-Focused Campaigns
Sharpie® Launches the World is Your Canvas Tour
African History-Inspired Streetwear
Daily Paper Launches a New Collection for the SS23 Season
Pop Art-Style Blocked Portraits
Ai Weiwei Presents Ai in Red Made from Bright LEGO Bricks
Intricate Fiber Art Exhibitions
Threadwork: Women Redefining Fiber Arts Opens at Saatchi
Democratic Digital Artwork Apps
The 'ArtzMe' App Makes Art Accessible to Everyone
Boundary-Pushing Art Exhibitions
Briony Douglas' Latest Exhibit Was Titled 'A Show With No Theme'
Evolved Vibrant Graffiti Art
Jan Kaláb Showcases The Evolution of His Bright Artwork
Iconic Artwork Watch Collaborations
These Artful Watches Feature Masterpieces from the MET
Expansive Graphic-Detailed Streetwear
Drama Call Presents its New Collection for the Season
Subterranean Courtyard Galleries
Buzz Designs the Hermit Space Yards in Beijing Park
Drone-Assisted Landscape Artwork
KATSU Presents a New Solo Exhibition at OMNI Gallery
Waste Tarp-Made Public Seating
The Membran Collective Joins the Urban Networks Project
Young-Artist Graphic Rug Collections
Alf Bärbel Wit Designs the LineLinesLines Collection
Subversive Boundary-Pushing Streetwear
THUG CLUB Continues to Define South Korean Streetwear
Street Art-Style Gummy Packaging
These Jolly Rancher Gummies Packs Were Created with Local Artists
Painter-Honoring Apparel Collections
JW Anderson Debuts a Collection Honoring Rembrandt
Digital City-Inspired Art Works
New Digital Art is on Display in Grand Central Station
AI-Curated Art Exhibits
The Woods Art Institute Launches 'The Art of Trending' Exhibit
Street Art-Inspired Installations
Lauren Halsey Creates a New Installation on the Met Rooftop
Graffiti Artist-Collab Streetwear
JA ONE XTC Joins Awake NY On a New Range of Apparel
Anniversary-Celebrating Pop-Up Stores
Random Studio Creates the Bodyscape Installation
Indoor Playground Art Exhibitions
CJ Hendry Unveils Two-Storey Indoor Playground Art Exhibition
Artwork-Adorned Collaborative Boots
TATE and Dr. Martens Celebrate Ithell Colquhoun's Work
Street Artist Digitalized Exhibitions
LG OLED and Shepard Fairey Showcase Digital Street Art
Artist-Honoring Streetwear Capsules
The Hundred Delivers a New Frida Kahlo Collection
Hip-Hop-Influenced Art Installations
B-side: (Broken) Memory and Remix Presents the BRIC House
Pollution-Absorbing Murals
The Bruichladdich Distillery 'We Also Make Whisky' Mural is Progressive
Ambient Atmospheric Music Exhibitions
Brian Eno Presents a New Show at the Paul Stolper Gallery
Spooky Street Ad Experiences
These Fanta Halloween Projections Took Over a Busy Stockholm Street
Childlike Characters Art Exhibitions
Kenny Scharf Unveil New Art Exhibition at The Journal Gallery
Graphic-Centric Minimal Streetwear
Drama Call Presents a Look at its Newest Collection
Anniversary-Honoring Graphic T-Shirts
Places+Faces Launch Collaboration Tees for 10 Years
Anniversary-Honoring Streetwear Graphics
BAPE Celebrates its 30th Year with the BAPE GALLERY
Inaugural Graphic Fashion Collaborations
NEIGHBORHOOD and © SAINT M ×××××× Drop a Playful Capsule
Artful Climate-Themed Installations
Michael Pinsky & Studio Bark Unveil the Making a Stand Design
Cairo-Based Streetwear Lookbooks
Unknown Taps Rapper Unknown T to Star in its New Campaign
Comprehensive Gallery Renovations
Carmody Groarke Releases Plans for the Dulwich Picture Gallery
Street Art-Adorned Perforated Footwear
Crocs Joins Futura Laboraties on a New Set of Shoes
Repurposed Waste Transit Tiles
Jeffrey Miller Creates Riles for the London Underground
University Art Museum Brandng
Principal Delivers the New Brand Identity of The Gund
Graffiti-Themed Spikey Sneakers
Nike and Off-White Release a AF1 Mid in a Graffiti Colorway
Historic Showroom Art Galleries
Johnston Marklee Transforms the Robert Projects Art Gallery
Revamped Monolithic Galleries
The Revamped National Portrait Gallery Emphasizes Public Space
Live-In Art Gallery Homes
Casa Galeria is a Home That Doubles as an Art Gallery
Suburban-Inspired Art Exhibitions
Stacy Leigh Unveils Her Latest 'Escape to B-Roll' Art Exhibition
Leftover Househouse Paint Artwork
Ella Doran Transform Leftover Paint into the Unique Paint Drop
Pop Art Stamp Collections
The U.S. Postal Service Roy Lichtenstein Stamps Come in Five Styles
Artfully Inspired Home Renovations
Reflect Architecture Designs the North Drive House in Toronto
Confectionary Graffiti Murals
The Jolly Rancher Gummies with Vibrant Street Art Designs Debuted
Hip-Hop-Inspired Apparel Collections
Stüssy and Gang Starr Announced New Collaboration Collection
Generative AI Historical Art
Google Presents the Art Selfie 2 Feature Fusing Art and Selfies
Jacquard Textile Design Exhibitions
Kutsaa Saksi Unveils In The Borderlands in Helsinki
Archeology-Exploring Exhibitions
Andreas Angelidakis Debuts His First Solo Exhibit in Paris
Painting-Immersive Photo Exhibits
Abelardo Morell Presents the New Ground Exhibition
Travel-Inspired Canvas Paintings
SOLDIER Presents the Passport Series of Artful Looks
Illuminated Public Artful Toilets
Tomohito Ushiro Designs the Hiroo East Park Toilet in Tokyo
Illustrative Artist-Collaborative Card Games
Shantell Martin Joins UNO's Ongoing Artiste Series
Geometric Colorful Residential Spaces
Office S&M Designs the Vibrant Graphic House in London
Vibrant Public Art Installations
Rico Gatson's Installation Brings Life to Penn Station
Graphic Pastel Art Pods
Ikra Arshad is Tapped for the Pod 5 Artist Residency by East Quay
Digital AI-Generated Art
Picsart's New SketchAI App is Transforming Images into Digital Artwork
Cultural Contemporary Art Installations
Cerámico Suro Presents SCAD AT MIAMI During Design Miami
Earthy Community Arts Center
New Makers Bureau and Localworks Design the 32° East Arts Centre
Celebratory Hip-Hop Collaborations
Mitchell & Ness Collaborates with Legendary Graffiti Crew Tats
Vibrantly Colorful Dynamic Artwork
Kayla Rumpp's Art is Seen as Both Painting and Sculptural
Music Culture-Honoring Graphic Tees
Patta's Dance T-Shirt Celebrates the UK's Music Culture
Billboard-Transformed Tent Shelters
Wunderman Thompson Morocco Creates the Life-Saving Outdoors
Reimagined Impressionist Paintings
AT&T Partners with Smartify to Highlight 5G Technology and AR
Kyoto-Inspired Solo Art Exhibitions
Philadelphia Gallery Displayed Ode to Kyoto and It's Wild Here
Collaborative Ceramic Collectables
Infinite Archies and En Iwamura Designs a Set of Ceramics
Graffiti-Inspired Marker Sets
Felipe Pantone Teams Up with KRINK on an Exclusive K-60 Marker Set
Desert Reflective Art Installations
Olafur Eliasson Designs the Shadows Travelling Installation
Immigration System-Inspired Artworks
SOLDIER's Passport Series Confront the Biased Justice System
Dynamic Public Artwork Installations
NEON Creates the Born to Be Wild Installation in the UK
Regional Art Debuts
Takashi Murakami Presents at a New Gallery in the UAE
Mobile Artwork Purchasing Platforms
The 'Cohart' Platform Supports Modern Art Buyers and Sellers
Mysterious Painted Car-Door Auctions
Banksy's Crazy Horse Artwork Goes to Auction
Unseen Artist Masterpieces
A Hidden Chamber Reveals Michelangelo's Untold Works
Politically Artful Textile Shows
Barbican Hosts Unravel: The Power and Politics of Textiles in Art
Smiling Snakes Art Exhibitions
Erik Foss Unveils First Solo Exhibition at the Kaikai Kiki Gallery
Dynamic Artful Car Designs
Julie Mehretu Unveils the Art-Adorned BMW M Hybrid V8 Car
Artist-Themed Apparel Collections
Buttercloth Launches a Collection with the Van Gogh Museum
Artful Cartoonish Canal Bridges
Artist Frankey Installs the Canal Skybridge in Amsterdam
Stolen Art-Tracking Mobile Apps
The FBI Launches the National Stolen Art File for Public Help
Free City-Wide Museum Days
Museums Free-for-All Offers Free Admission to L.A's Museums
Street Artist Tequila Collaborations
Tequila Avión Collaborates with Artist Gustavo Zermeño Jr.
Nomadic Berlin Design Galleries
Forma Presents the The Room I Walk the Line Exhibition
Rabbit-Themed Artful Installations
Olaolu Slawn Unveils a Large-Scale Installation in DSM London
Contemporary Permanent Art Displays
Cj Hendry Introduces the HOOPS Tree Installation in Miami