MEREBUT KUASA ATAS RUANG PUBLIK: PERTARUNGAN RUANG KOMUNITAS MURAL DI SURABAYA

For mural communities in Surabaya, seizing walls to paint on is like conquering power over a territory. To paint over each others works that leads to verbal or physical conflicts can occur from a situation of rivalry between the mural communities or conflicts with the graffiti communities. Although conflicts can happen, interestingly there is still a sense of respect that conjures up guilt when they paint over other communities murals. Painting over others works in street art is common because it is in open space. Walls, in the street art communitys perspective, can become public space when the buildings structure faces the publicly accessible streets . This research aims to understand the strategies of the mural communities in creating works in Surabaya streets, especially when they must fight for a wall. Communities like Bunuhdiri, Tiadaruang, Horrorcrew, Artpuccino, and HateHate are invited in focus group discussions to talk about strategies, conflicts, and their understanding of public sphere. These mural communities still maintain local values, such as tolerance and permission from other communities when painting over their works, in the midst of the customary act of painting over others street art, just as with street art communities in developed countries that have been the exemplar of street art in Indonesia as well as Surabaya.