Street art. Social Expression Between Propaganda and Visual Protest

Contemporary street art in Romania functions as a fertile ground for analyzing the relationship between propaganda, visual protest, and social marginality. This article combines a theoretical approach to the functions of visual propaganda with a qualitative analysis of ten interviews conducted with street artists from Bucharest. Their perceptions regarding the role of urban art as a form of counter-discourse, an educational tool, or an aesthetic of resistance are investigated. The conclusions highlight the critical potential but also the structural limitations of street art. The paper argues that, in the absence of inclusive cultural policies and coherent institutional recognition, street art remains a fragmented, ambivalent, and insufficiently valued form of protest. However, at the same time, visual images can influence public perception of social realities and stimulate civic awareness.