Building Owner - Legal Works

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Some building owners have embraced street art in an attempt to control the representations on their property. Private owners are commissioning street artists to do work for them legally. They might be homeowners wanting to cover up unwanted street art. Others are shop owners hoping to portray a certain image. For example, ISHKA employed Deb to decorate their shop front and vans. ISHKA is a handcraft store with wares from around the world with a South Asian vibe. Deb’s more famous works feature Hindu gods and goddesses, so she can capture the vibe that ISHKA wants to embody. In cases where the artist is hired by another party to produce artwork, the building owner is the owner of the art and gets copyright, unless stated in a contract. Therefore, copies of the artwork could be distributed at the employers’ jurisdiction. Even if the artist is not paid, the owner of the “canvas” maintains property rights of the physical painting on the wall or van. This demonstrates cases in which the art belongs to the building owner.