Credit Jean-Michel Basquiat aka Samo for putting graffitti and street art firmly into art scene in the 80's. When you think about it, the most geniune form of expression--may it be fashion or art--is really often found on the street.
While I was never impressed by MMDA art, I always found the graffiti done by Filipino taggers and street artists to be cool. Thanks to these brave souls (last I checked vandalizing is still illegal), Manila's walls are spiced up with quirky images and colorful murals that buzz with creativity.
In Tokyo, street expression is everywhere and one prominent character, I found, is BNE. His stickers are all around town--on vending machines, bridges, street signs, and bus timetables. I'm not about to take on the role of a detective and find out who BNE is, but an online source claims that his stickers go beyond the geographical borders of Japan, and are found in places such as Barcelona, Amsterdam, San Francisco and Milan.
Basquiat cleverly said, "I don't listen to what art critics say. I don't know anybody who needs a critic to find out what art is." To that, I'd say, you don't have to go to a museum to find proper art. If you're looking for inspiration, roaming the city streets should be enough.
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