Convergence on the street: rethinking the authentic/commercial divide

This article examines shifting definitions of creativity in urban spaces in the contemporary USA, and analyzes how different definitions of creativity inform an understanding of convergence in the context of contemporary street art. This essay examines the logic that mobilizes these dynamics, and, through the cultural lens of contemporary street art, asks how and in what ways does ‘creativity’ matter differently – indeed, have a different value – in the contemporary moment of convergence and global capitalism? I situate convergence culture as part of a broad process mobilized by political, economic, cultural and historical transitions that centrally involve the marketization and branding of arts and culture. Through the examination of street art by artists such as Banksy and Shepard Fairey, I focus on the convergence of creative ‘authenticity’ and the commercial.