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Google’s street art database doubles in size due to high demand

GOOGLE’S street art database is set to double in size due to high demand. To celebrate we have pulled together some of the best works found on Twitter.

MATTHEW DUNN
less than 2 min read
March 20, 2015 - 9:29AM
Street artist Lee Harnden with his latest work did a portrait of fellow artist Garth Jankovic
Street artist Lee Harnden with his latest work did a portrait of fellow artist Garth Jankovic

THE urban culture of graffiti art was born in New York and can be traced back to the 1960s.

Developed by those living in overcrowded and dangerous neighbourhood blocks, the art form acted as a creative response to tough conditions.

The creative expression was seen on walls of the city and trains travelling across the five boroughs.

Fast forward to the 20th century and a post-graffiti subculture known as street art was born.

Unlike traditional graffiti artists who went about to destroy and vandalise property, the culture aimed to beautify banal urban landscapes through the use of wheatpasting, stencil graffiti, mosaic tiling and street instillations.

Pioneering artists like Banksy, Shepard Fairey and Space Invader were all pivotal in bringing the art from into the mainstream.

It has now grown so much that it has a dedicated space in the Google Art Project – an initiative headed by the Google Cultural Institute that makes artworks from over 250 institutions around the world available online.

After launching last year, the street-art database partnered with more than 50 arts organisations to create virtual exhibits showcasing work from 34 countries.

The initiative was such success that Google announced it would be doubling the gallery size and adding 5000 high-resolution images of street art to the online gallery.

“The idea of having your work on the streets is also the idea of having it be seen by many people. Having this online presence can help people actually discover some of [artists’] work even if they can never see it in person,” Google’s Lucy Schwartz told The Hollywood Reporter.

To get you in the mood for the new works, we have pulled together some of the best street art on Twitter.

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Original URL: https://www.news.com.au/technology/online/social/googles-street-art-database-doubles-in-size-due-to-high-demand/news-story/d727f46764a4f162f360c6fa189b28b9