Scratching the Surface is a collection of essays that delves into the world of graffiti and street art, offering reflection and analysis. Commissioned by the Mondriaan Fund, this publication brings together eight experts who share their insights into these dynamic art forms and explore their future trajectories. What developments are shaping the scene and what can we learn from graffiti and street art today?

We are living in a time of polarization. Cultural and educational institutions are confronted with the responsibility to provide tools and spaces for critical reflection, for engagement, and, more fundamentally, for meeting and recognizing each other in our differences. In this decolonial essay Rolando Vázquez introduces his critique which offers an option for thinking and doing beyond the dominant paradigms. It provides a critical analysis of modernity understood broadly as the western proj...