Durban Burning

Graffiti in Durban Stone City is alive and well. From wheat-pastes and stencils, to fat cap throw-ups and dripping marker tags, to clean pieces and burning production walls, the relatively small crew of hardcore writers that make up the epicenter of the Durban graf scene are making their presence felt. The increase in graffiti (especially bombing) has been notable over the last year or two, as art of a particularly ghetto flair has crept under the cover of darkness, farther and farther into the suburban sensibility, insulting Musgrave moms and municipality workers with the uninhibited self expression it pokes into the public eye. But what makes a real graffiti writer? And what is it that sets apart toys who dabble in vandalism from the real graffiti artist?

By Luke Mason – Photos by Quest crew