‘I want to learn to do that’: subcultural heritage, identity, and learning graffiti in Pamplona

Abstract

ABSTRACT Graffiti culture has expanded rapidly since its inception in the 1970s, and is now an established practice. Graffiti is part of the visual culture of many societies, and constitutes the visible part that is hidden to the common pedestrian. As such, it is argued that graffiti has become part of many countries’ subcultural heritage. This article focuses on the processes of learning and identity construction of graffiti writers in Pamplona, in Spain, and considers the consequences of this for the concept of subcultural heritage. The data were collected via interviews and participant observations conducted over eight months. The findings suggest that graffiti writers’ identities are constituted via their artwork, which is influenced by emotions and praise that serves to fuel their ego. The findings also indicate that these writers tend to hide the fact that they have learned from others, claiming instead to have learned on their own. Hence, graffiti subcultural heritage is defined by ideas that writers themselves have about graffiti, and their learning of the previous heritage. The paper concludes that writers leaving their mark and receiving feedback from their community contribute to their subcultural heritage, and that these two aspects represent specific characteristics of this subculture.