Reverse Graffiti

Reverse graffiti ( freely translated: "reverse graffiti " ) is a special form of graffiti. The image produced in this case by, for example, a street, a city tunnel wall or furniture is partially purified.

Some artists create images by walls and the like with rags and brushes in combination with detergents and solvents to clean. In the simplest case, is drawn with the fingers in the dust filthy windows etc..

The method is also increasingly being used in advertising, where it is also called Street branding. The term derives from the case from the term branding, which was originally used for the onset of fire sign on animals. Here the picture is usually by means of a template and a high pressure cleaner is created. Also, environmental initiatives and other groups use the Street Branding to display their content because so on the pollution due to transport can be made aware and creating the images is also environmentally friendly, as only water is used.

The effect holds, depending on degree of soiling and re- deposition of carbon particles, between six weeks and six months.

Since the background is not painted or otherwise altered, but is only partially purified, reverse graffiti is usually considered to be legal. However, this question is not entirely clear.

Artists who use reverse graffiti to apply large-scale works of art on dirty walls, usually make use of the stencil technique. In this case, patterns, shapes or versatile collagen are cut into sheets or timber, which serve as a kind of negative film. With the help of, for example, high-pressure cleaners images of these templates can now be transferred to the wall.

Known Reverse Graffiti artists are Britain's Paul Curtis, the Brazilian Alexandre Orion, the Texan Scott Wade, the French street artist ZEVS and the German Dauven.