Traditional use of single world made into a symbol.

Annual celebration of graffiti art We Needi Graffiti has returned to Saskatoon Community Youth Arts Programming (SCYAP) gallery with the intent to show the merits of this urban art form in exhibit form.

The show is set to display a number of different graffiti styles to highlight a wide range of variety. Curated by local artist April Doepker, the exhibit is going into its fourth annual year — growing in variety of art each year.

With over 40 local pieces of art on display and two from Montreal, those who come to the gallery can view an art form that feels underrepresented in Saskatoon. Doepker has been able to make a lot of connections with graffiti artists over the years. She accomplished this by doing an open call over social networks and with public posters for people to submit their work for a chance to be included in a gallery.

A form of graffiti art not often depicted in popular media.

Though she has gotten to know a lot of artists now that the show is well established, Doepker still offers the open call for those who are new to the scene and are looking to show off their talent. She’s even found local artists from wandering the Fringe Festival this year.

Doepker gathered a lot of inspiration from her time living in Montreal, where graffiti is a far more openly recognized art form and can be seen everywhere while walking the streets. She saw the urban landscape made far more vibrant and beautiful when it would otherwise be bland and gray. We Needi Graffiti hopes to show people unfamiliar with street art that it could help to brighten up Saskatoon’s alleyways and industrial areas.

The original idea for the event came from Doepker while working at SCYAP during a graffiti show. She wanted to display similar work, but from a variety of artists rather than just a specific core.

The pieces range from fever dream interpretations of people to flaming heads and Dragon Ball Z characters to classic stylized written words.

In hopes to move beyond the negative connotations associated with street art, Doepker is looking to celebrate the beauty that can be found in such unique work. “Graffiti can actually be art — not just crappy tags on your garage,” she said.

The show is a major push to make the city more open about having graffiti, arguing that it could give the city a fresh coat of paint. Right now, Saskatoon graffiti offers only two walls: in the alley behind White Buffalo — where few people see it — and on Warman Road. Having more spaces available for artistic expression beyond these two would not only make the city more eye catching for commuters, but it would stop a lot of kids from practicing their art in illegal settings.

While tagging does give street art a bad reputation, graffiti at its roots is art and expression in a public medium.

In many cases, graffiti is used to express ideas through a word or polarizing image that is only out in public so as to increase visibility, rather than to blatantly deface property. But with a lack of options in the city, many artists don’t have any choice but to work with whatever canvases are available — legal or otherwise.

The gallery will also include live music performances from local rap group, Unsatisfied Poets. Hip-hop and graffiti fit perfectly together with their shared influences from urban and pop cultures. With the live music guests, attendees should truly be able to get a taste of the culture behind the artform.

Check out We Needi Graffiti now and on Sept. 21 to watch as artist paint graffiti live on site in the alleyway behind SCYAP gallery.

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Photo: Nicholas Kindrachuck/Culture Editor