Urban Art, often referred to as graffiti has been around for thousands of years, from primitive man painting murals in caves, youths making themselves heard for geo-political messages highlighting various plights, to Banksy and his mysterious pieces that seem to appear over night.

Having spent many years living in Germany, I was initially quite surprised at the amount of graffiti in several cities that I visited, but some of the urban art pieces I have seen were bordering upon vandalism.

Urban Art when done correctly provides vibrant images that can be quite pleasing. At the 798 Art District in Beijing, Urban Art is encouraged to brighten up the once dull and drab East German Industrial Site.

The 798 Art District reminds me of the trendy art scene that popped up in the old East German sections of Berlin after the wall came down in 1989. I had the pleasure to live in Berlin for 3 years and experienced many of these places first hand.