Vaj

Vaj, also known as Vaj Graff, is a feminist street artist based in Bristol, United Kingdom. Active as a feminist graffiti artist since July 2015, her style is similar to Banksy. In January 2016, she controversially added legs and pubic hair to the Queen Victoria statue in College Green, Bristol. This was removed within 24 hours by the local council. Her art has a feminist purpose in an area dominated by men.

Background Vaj is also known as VAJ, Vaj Graff and Vaj DGAF. Although, Vaj herself rejects Vaj Graff, claiming the name is used by the media to identify her because it is her Twitter handle. She said no one calls her that. but in 2016 she was described as a 26-year-old living in Fishponds, Bristol. She has a criminal record. It often features female genitalia that appear on buildings and monuments. She became active as a graffiti artist in July 2015, with her early work getting little attention. Other artists in the documentary included Vicky Yentob, Toby Glass and, vegan taxidermist Lily Rose. She has never had a fine arts exhibit of her work. The act took place in daylight hours, with passersby taking pictures of the artist making the addition. The addition to the statue was removed within 24 hour of being added.

Vaj said her intention was not to degenerate national heritage. Responding to criticisms of the defacement of the statue, the artist said "If Banksy’s allowed to paint a naked man hanging out a window of a sex clinic, then why can’t Queen Vic be seen in all her glory?" She also said, "“A lot of haters out there calling it vandalism. It ain’t vandalism. It’s a statement. Stand tall. Stand proud and love the vaj.” She also pointed out that while Banksy's street art was protected, her similar work was criminalized. She told the Bristol Post, "The art world is male dominated. Fact. Street art is male dominated. Fact. So I've got to represent. I've got to redress the balance. [...] Queen Vic was a power woman. She was the original feminist and she was proud. All I did was show her how she wanted to be seen. What's so offensive about that?" Her work also brings attention to double standards in the art world. "They [MailOnline] are saying my Vaj is offensive but when you look down the side of that site what do you see?" Graff asked. "Women with their tits out ... Double standards are everywhere."

Her artwork faced criticism from feminists, even as male artists have been praised for their depiction of female genitalia. Lloyd is one such feminist critic, saying there were a number of well-known female graffiti artists whose "unique work [...] often challenges the status quo", which she contrasted to Vaj "defacing a public monument." Lloyd also argued that Vaj's addition to the Queen Victoria statue was ineffective as a statement because everyone already knew that Queen Victoria had female genitalia. Vaj has said that male artists spray painting penises is about demarking space as intrinsically male. Women painting women in this way also serves as a reminder that women exist.