Urban Scrawl – the street art exhibition on show at Caloundra Regional Art Gallery – challenges traditional artistic perceptions. It’s upfront and in your face.
A great deal of the art work is expressed in a stencil format – art in its most simple, yet often most confronting, form.
A huge drawcard is Banksy, who is possibly the most famous street artist on the planet. He started out in the ’80s, and his street art now sells for millions of dollars – yet still no-one really know who he is.
And that’s the mystique of street art. Quirky names, strange drawings, social messages commenting on politics, ethics and culture drive the colour, texture and line of each pic.
You have to love it. Drop into the gallery and check out Moona Lisa: you’ll get the picture.
The extraordinary nature of this show is perhaps exemplified by a handful of works by Sunshine Coast and Brisbane artists juxtaposed against internationally renowned artists Nick Walker, Sickboy, Kngee and Banksy.
“I came in contact with an international street art collector,” he said.
“He saw some of our art works and thought they were so good, we should get a show together.
“He said if we got a show together, he would put in some international works, which would highlight the quality of local work.”
And that’s just what’s happened. Artists with signatures such as Zklr, Miscery, Reks 085C3N3, BB73, Skull Duggery, Cpho, Pixie G, Josh M, Guz and Jared have lined the walls with their paintings and stencil work.
Together, and with the support of gallery directory John Waldron, they have participated in the liberating spirit of street art and painted an entire gallery wall in a day. It’s there for now and goes with the show.
Lewczuk sees street art bringing many social blessings, including a decrease in graffiti on designated public art walls.
He also point to the success of Melbourne’s “City Lights” program. This program started with public monies that funded artwork on CBD alleyways and turned these dark, dank walls into galleries. It’s now funded by a private business that takes tours through these laneways.I
n Caloundra, Lewczuk is pleased to be working on a public art program in a smaller way – on traffic signal boxes. This is a program that’s about to begin, although you can check out the beauty of it in Nambour – see the “prosperity” box in Currie Street – or at Mooloolaba Beach.
Waldron is also a supporter of the program.
“Today our city streets shout with billboards, posters and corporate advertising, all vying for our attention – so much so that they invite a subversive response,” he said.
He believes the response comes in the form of low-tech stencil street art.
Yet despite its increasing mainstream legitimacy, as proven by the prices now being paid for street art, the show at Caloundra provides a space to express an art with its roots in rebellion and a message to scream.
The show runs until April 13 2008 at Caloundra Regional Art Gallery
No comments:
Post a Comment