American Research Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

The meaning of artistic originality has changed considerably as modern art moved away from beauty as its primary aesthetic standard. This shift placed greater emphasis on novelty, distinction, and the individual position of the artist, raising questions about how originality can be recognized and valued within changing cultural institutions. This study examines these questions through Boris Groys’s concept of Kultürökonomie, which understands cultural production through processes of exchange, valuation, innovation, and the continual reclassification of cultural objects. The discussion focuses on the tension between artistic rebellion and institutional recognition, using graffiti as a critical case for examining the limits of this framework. Graffiti presents a distinctive challenge because its significance is closely connected to illegality, place, material presence, and resistance to established artistic conventions. Its movement from unauthorized urban expression into galleries and commercial settings also reveals how alternative practices can be absorbed into the cultural system they initially challenge. The study argues that originality cannot be understood solely through cultural novelty or systems of valuation. Its meaning also depends on the material realization of artistic ideas, the circumstances of production, and the relationship between creative intention and cultural recognition. The analysis proposes a broader understanding of originality that preserves the tension between artistic independence and institutional assimilation.

Keywords: Artistic Originality; Cultural Value; Boris Groys; Graffiti Art; Avant-Garde; Artistic Innovation; Cultural Assimilation; Art Materiality; Institutional Recognition.