André Saraiva Has Been Fined for Tagging at Joshua Tree National Park

A couple months back, graffiti artist André Saraiva gained national attention when he was accused of tagging a boulder in Joshua Tree National Park. He uploaded a picture of his art practice onto his Instagram feed, after which he soon received a lot of backlash when Modern Hiker ran a story on this incident. Saraiva originally denied any wrongdoing by saying the tag was done in a friend’s backyard, but it soon became clear that the location was in fact within park borders and following an investigation he was fined an undisclosed amount earlier in the month. Though his famous “Mr. A” stick character and collaborations with the likes Louis Vuitton and Maison Kitsuné have undoubtedly brought positive attention to his artistic talents, the defacing of natural objects may have been a step too far.