Street art in the field of tension between resistance and commercial appropriation

In her article ‘Diese Wand bleibt bunt – Lokale Identifikation über Street-Art’ for the book ‘Gentrifizierung und Touristifizierung in der Hamburger Sternschanze’, edited by Ursula Kirschner and Anja Saretzki and published by Transcript in 2023, Anna Mirjam Liley explores local identification through street art.

Hamburg’s Schanzenviertel neighbourhood is currently undergoing a major process of change. Projects that are more associated with the alternative scene are being displaced by increasing commercialisation. A wave of gentrification is sweeping through the neighbourhood: a World War II bunker has been turned into a tourist magnet with the addition of a hotel and a viewing platform. Not far away, a historic building complex had to make way for a new office building, which investors have dubbed the St Pauli House in keeping with its image.

KP Flügel asked Anna Mirjam Liley about her view of things. The author will be taking part in the Art and Place discussion on the topic of gentrification on Friday, 2 May 2025.

What role does street art play in this process?

The local street art exists in a permanent field of tension between resistance and commercial appropriation. The construction project mentioned above is a good example of how street art can unintentionally contribute to processes of displacement: Due to various developments, such as the increasing importance of social media as information channels, there is a growing interest in ‘new urban tourism’ – a travel experience that is perceived as particularly authentic and takes places outside of mainstream sightseeing. As a result, elements of alternative culture are also becoming more and more important as location factors of larger cities.
The street art characterising the cityscape of Hamburg’s Schanzenviertel can also be seen as such a factor. Its creative and subversive image makes the area particularly attractive to investors, leading to the instrumentalisation of alternative culture for marketing purposes and the use of urban spaces in the sense of commercialisation. However, as only certain and desirable aspects of alternative culture can be incorporated into this context, the process inevitably leads to displacement, which in the case of street art, becomes for example visible in the form of increased repressions and protection measures on facades. Ultimately, however, the phenomenon of street art is and remains an unquestioned appropriation of public spaces that cannot entirely be stopped by such measures. Despite its own commercial appropriation, it therefore continues to represent a form of (re)conquering urban spaces while it is constantly renegotiating the right to them.

How did you go about your investigation/research?

Part of my research consisted of interviewing people whose own street art is represented in the neighbourhood or who are active in the scene in other ways. As part of further interviews, I also spoke to residents, tradespeople and visitors in the neighbourhood in order to capture different perspectives on the topic. In the end, this is what I got, because very different interests and intentions come together here.

In your article, you ask street artists whether street art always has to have a political, activist connection? Taking up and expanding on this question, what role does the street art and graffiti scene play in the Schanze today?

As mentioned above, street art already contains an activist dimension through the act of an unquestioned appropriation of public spaces and therefore always carries a certain subversive potential within itself. In terms of content, however, it is not necessarily conveying a socio-critical message through the motifs. My current impression is that the local street art has tended to become more political in recent years. Ultimately it is not possible to make any universally valid statements about this though, as the motivations behind the design and distribution of street art are overall very diverse. Many creators for example emphasise that they are primarily interested in the joy of designing public space. In some cases, they simply want to create interventions and small irritations in everyday life that visually delight people for a brief moment. In addition, the appeal often lies in the forbidden or simply in achieving the greatest possible visibility.

One aspect that I find very interesting is that – regardless of the intentions of the creators – the creative engagement with the urban space can give rise to something that can be described as a sense of local belonging. For example when street art is practised within a local community or when it is photographed, published and geographically tagged on Instagram after its installation. Viewers also seem to identify theirselves with the location ‘Sternschanze’ through local street art. For example, street art is often referred to as part of a very specific atmosphere that is perceived and appreciated as characterising and typical of the district. In addition, consumer experiences associated with street art can of course also lead to local identification. Location-based bonds can basically be created through a wide variety of engagements with the subculture.

KP Flügel