Street Art in Kingston, Jamaica

Abstract This study aims to give street art, especially religious street art, the critical attention it deserves. A sample of visual images present in various inner-city communities of Kingston, Jamaica, is considered, taking account of the analysis of Jaffe, Rhiney and Francis. It focuses on the uses of popular art to institutionalize criminal governance structures through the iconization of local area leaders known as “dons” by aesthetic fashioning that combines elements of religious, political, and celebrity culture. Unlike Jaffe, however, this snapshot highlights religiosity and demonstrates the importance of popular art in giving expression to and negotiating faith. It argues, further, contrary to Zacca, that the days of simplified line drawings and text from the Bible are not gone. Rather, popular art in the form of death memorials and icons of criminals/gangs has simply become an additional form of artistic expression of religiosity. At the same time, biblical texts, particularly the Psalms along with Rasta and national iconography are among the most popular forms of religious street art, as are indicated in the sample.