Graffiti as a visual expression that goes back to ancient times and has existed in just about every culture, but until recently it was considered more of a nuisance and something found in public places, especially toilets. With the invention of spray paint, it has become widespread and at worst, a creeping vandalism, yet, at best, some are noted for a crude strength. Indeed, it may be that graffiti is a necessary form of expressionism, used to vent the frustrations of poverty, tensions or even aspirations in just being alive as a human being.

Some years ago I was in Chicago and while there I thought I would stock up on art supplies by visiting Pearl Paint, one of the largest art supply companies in the US. One thing I was looking for was acrylic spray paint, but when I inquired about such, I was told that it was impossible to find spray paint in the whole of Chicago. On asking why, I was told that the city government had outlawed it, because of graffiti.

Still, despite its frequent crudeness, graffiti is a subject of interest to the likes of anthropologists. socialist, psychologists, historians etc. Graffiti that has been found in archeological sites, such as Pompeii, providing us insights and information into the lives of these ordinary ancient peoples.

Recently number of graffiti artists have moved from making street art into gallery situations. Three such artists come to mind; Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring and Banksy. The first two, unfortunately, died young, Basquiat from a heroin overdose and Haring from AIDS related complications, but Banksy is still creating his thoughtful, subversive, political street art, but at the same time he is moving into the the gallery world, by surreptitiously placing his work on the walls of such museums as the Museum of Modern Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Brooklyn Museum, American Museum of Natural History and the British Museum. In the latter case, when their Banksy was discovered, it was added to their permanent collection. The fascinating thing about Banksy is that, although a prolific artists, he has been able to keep his identity a secret.

Several Bermudian artists have been inspired by graffiti art, and one, Calix Smith is currently having an exhibition in Common Ground Cafe at 11 Chancery Lane, Hamilton. Like Banksy, Smith's art also deals with social issues. He has, for example, a special concern are young black males. A small, mysterious figure called Mr. M. features in in a number of his paintings that are reminiscent of similar figures in numerous Keith Haring works. The M stands for misunderstood.

In speaking with Mr. Smith, I learned that he is an art student at Bermuda College and although he is an aspiring artist, he is also passionate about the history of art and intends to include art historical studies in with his studio practice. I was interested to learn that he was aware of a certain experience from recent art history. Back in 1953, Robert Rauschenberg took a drawing by Willem de Kooning, in connection with Rauchenberg's all white series and erased it. When he approached de Kooning about this project, it seems that de Kooning immediately understood what Rauschenberg was all about, but provided him with a drawing made up of all kinds of different media, including oil paint. Rauschenberg said that it took him a month to actually erase it. De Kooning intended to make the project almost impossible.

Calix Smith has done something similar, although it does not involve erasure. He approached one of his teachers at Bermuda College, Professor Edwin Smith about working on top of one of his paintings. Smith calls this painting over another's, defaced Professor Smith, like de Kooning with Rauschenberg, understood where Calix Smith was coming from actually provided him with a couple paintings. One is now, interestingly, entitled, Understanding. The second "defaced" painting is called Care About it... With these paintings, I also recall Marcel Duchamp's defacing of the Mona Lisa. In Duchamp's case, he painted a mustache on a print of the Mona Lisa. This was the ultimate Dadaist act, defacing a masterpiece, or is there more to it? There is a persistent rumour that Mona Lisa is actually Leonardo himself, in drag. If this is the case, possibly Duchamp is redefining Mona Lisa's gender. He was also playing on words as deface and the face, as in that of Mona Lisa.

The Calix Smith Show is called Socially Uncommon. The artist, in his exhibition statement says that he chose this title, because he considers it as defining who he is as a new artist in Bermuda. Calix Smith writes that his work is hinged around social and political commentary, with the concept of aesthetics being secondary. It is his belief that our society is in dire need of the arts and for artists who take a stand for something. This thought today is not all that common, hence uncommon.

The exhibition consists of fourteen paintings and continues through October 6, 2010.

It was curated by Select Palette Art. On September 9, 2010, at 2:30 p.m., the artist will be speaking on his work at Common Ground. He has called his talk, Unravelling Socially Uncommon. This is a great opportunity to meet the artist and hear about his aesthetic.