You Can Take the Street out of Street Art but you Can’t Take the Street Art out of the Art

Street art is illegal but protected by copyright law. It is also found both in backstreet alleys where it is destroyed and in international museums where it is protected. I argue that the best way to understand street art’s conflicting natures is as illegal art made with the intent by the artists to be relinquished to an unknown fate. However, this causes problems for its protected status, demanding that all street art exist unprotected in the public domain.