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4. One thinks of New York, Tokyo, Berlin, or Manchester as heavens for Street Art painters and aficionados. Still, at least at present, a more more vibrant street art scene, and more in connection with Perth, is happening elsewhere. Just to put an example close to our shores, I am thinking of the Malay city of Melaka and its wonderful riverside, and the street art murals covering night clubs and businesses non stop, spreading to the walls of new buildings. I found street art in Kuala Lumpur incredible, too. I thought that Perth and Melaka share the idea and feeling that a city and its public and business spaces can be beautiful canvases of creativity, and that they look much better painted than in blank, grey or bare bricks. Still, Melaka's murals are quintessentially Malay, as they use motifs (traditions, myths, and ways of life) and colours that perfectly represent who they are. Our murals, in that regards, do not reflect a clear Australian or Perthian identity, or they have it in the fact that they are artistically individualistic.
5. I had this conversation with an art gallery owner. I told him, "why don't you call an street artist to paint your [ugly] building with a funky mural?" His answer was that there is no street art in Perth, and those making it in Perth act as if they were the last big thing. Yes, ugliness can be subversive and even provocative, but I disagree with his statement. Yes, we do not see any Banksy here, or subversive street art, although isolated examples do exist (I am thinking on those stencil posters glued on the walls after the death of Osama Bin Laden, quickly removed or sprayed over).
Perth Street Art do exist and is indeed very artistic. Not as spontaneous, sub-culture, protest, provocative, and subversive as in other societies and countries. However, there is a reason for that. We live in a rich peaceful country with a democracy, where people live their lives as they want, choose their religion, politic and even their sexual orientation. Therefore, their ways of expression are never going to be the same as those of artists and people who live in societies where there are marked class differences, political oppression, racial and sexual extermination or alienation, extreme poverty, widespread corruption, or simply a big economical crisis. Perhaps our city is too bourgeois to have radical street art, or politically or socially mindful street art, but our street art is just artistic. Is that bad?
On the other hand the sticker street art is quite personal, provocative, cute, daring, and eclectic, a bit funkier. Electric switch boxes, poles, and any type of traffic signs are spread throughout the city. There are a few people who have been doing so in the city and have just opened a collective exhibit in Perth Art Gallery Kurb. The girl behind the bunny stickers is not only a lovely girl, but a talented young artist with nice pieces for sale at ridiculous prices. She is talented and nice. Good start girl! I got my two stickers in my visit. Yoohoo.
6. Art,
by definition, is
subversion, reflection, transformation, subconscious approximation,
cheekiness, provocation, a comment on the needs, hopes and illusions of
the human soul and the society we live in. A window to or tap into the
personal and collective subconscious. Not just a way of individual
expression. In that regard, I miss from
the Perth Art scene alternative conscious oriented street
art focusing on our crap, as we have lots of it, too: immigrant
alienation, refugee rejection, Aboriginal exclusion, cultural racism and
biases, land and real state speculation, uranium sale, the projected
pipe from the Kimberly, domestic violence, drunk violence, just to
mention a few. I do not see them
artistically explored on the walls of the city. It puzzles me that
Aborigines and Aboriginal themes and issues are almost absent from our walls.
I do not understand either why beautiful cannot
be subversive, mindful and socially conscious. I do not expect
Government sponsored Street Art to do this sort of thing, but I do
expect non-commissioned pieces to do so. It is just a wish.
2. Graffiti and
vandalism are sometimes associated in the mind of our politicians and of
many citizens. Some TV shows and a.c.a.s give the same bad name to
destroyers of public furniture, buses and trains and those who do
artistic tagging, graffiti and/or painting. Still, overall, there is a
respect towards wall painting and street art in this city. So much so
that the City of Perth and the City of Subiaco are sponsoring
educational projects of street art targeting the youth and Perth lanes -
Food Chain is an incredible
initiative. The City of Subiaco was also behind the painting of the Gold
Lane. Of course, if a government or institution promotes something, you
are not going to find anything subversive. Still, it is great.
Education
Institutions are also acting as sponsors and paying for murals on their
campuses. An exhibition at the Central Institute of Technology in
Northbridge called Street Art 2012, was held between 23-28th July 2012,
sponsored by HepatitisWA with works, street-art style, showcasing "young
people's creative interpretation of the key health messages associated
with viral hepatitis". The guys were selected from several youth
agencies and selected to raise awareness of hepatitis. Well, if that is
the case why not doing Street Art properly in the streets where, using
abandoned walls, where the message can be seen by hundreds the people
and be called street art? Street Art on canvases indoors. Truly Odd!
3. We do not have guerrillas
cleaning
up viciously and obsessively in Perth, but mostly people admiring the
work of the
artists or ignoring it. Yes, there are examples of cleaning guerrillas,
like in my
attached photos, but I have also seen cleaning of graffiti on murals
painted by streets artists! I love oxymorons! I also have seem certain
sticker areas being continuously cleaned and repeated in a loop of
eternal resistance.
4. One thinks of New York, Tokyo, Berlin, or Manchester as heavens for Street Art painters and aficionados. Still, at least at present, a more more vibrant street art scene, and more in connection with Perth, is happening elsewhere. Just to put an example close to our shores, I am thinking of the Malay city of Melaka and its wonderful riverside, and the street art murals covering night clubs and businesses non stop, spreading to the walls of new buildings. I found street art in Kuala Lumpur incredible, too. I thought that Perth and Melaka share the idea and feeling that a city and its public and business spaces can be beautiful canvases of creativity, and that they look much better painted than in blank, grey or bare bricks. Still, Melaka's murals are quintessentially Malay, as they use motifs (traditions, myths, and ways of life) and colours that perfectly represent who they are. Our murals, in that regards, do not reflect a clear Australian or Perthian identity, or they have it in the fact that they are artistically individualistic.
5. I had this conversation with an art gallery owner. I told him, "why don't you call an street artist to paint your [ugly] building with a funky mural?" His answer was that there is no street art in Perth, and those making it in Perth act as if they were the last big thing. Yes, ugliness can be subversive and even provocative, but I disagree with his statement. Yes, we do not see any Banksy here, or subversive street art, although isolated examples do exist (I am thinking on those stencil posters glued on the walls after the death of Osama Bin Laden, quickly removed or sprayed over).
Perth Street Art do exist and is indeed very artistic. Not as spontaneous, sub-culture, protest, provocative, and subversive as in other societies and countries. However, there is a reason for that. We live in a rich peaceful country with a democracy, where people live their lives as they want, choose their religion, politic and even their sexual orientation. Therefore, their ways of expression are never going to be the same as those of artists and people who live in societies where there are marked class differences, political oppression, racial and sexual extermination or alienation, extreme poverty, widespread corruption, or simply a big economical crisis. Perhaps our city is too bourgeois to have radical street art, or politically or socially mindful street art, but our street art is just artistic. Is that bad?
On the other hand the sticker street art is quite personal, provocative, cute, daring, and eclectic, a bit funkier. Electric switch boxes, poles, and any type of traffic signs are spread throughout the city. There are a few people who have been doing so in the city and have just opened a collective exhibit in Perth Art Gallery Kurb. The girl behind the bunny stickers is not only a lovely girl, but a talented young artist with nice pieces for sale at ridiculous prices. She is talented and nice. Good start girl! I got my two stickers in my visit. Yoohoo.
***
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A few useful links for Street Art Lovers Below
