Personally, I think it’s a really cool craft - there’s a lot of technique and know-how just to control a can properly, let alone to pull off a composed piece or calligraphy. Some people do learn their basics on the fly for sure but I think it’s a gift to the public when writers are given space to perfect their art.
Calling it broadly cultural is a bit wanky in some respects, but I think it is! In some ways, I think it’s similar to why here is so interesting. Given the risks of participating and the lack of any kind of tangible reward outside recognition from other people involved, this/it exists largely because people’ve decided they want it to; and I think that’s a pretty special thing imo - especially as a niche in our cultural ecosystem.
Anyway, just a little enthusiastic rant - I think graff’ and street art represent a really neat subsection of our cities latent underground ‘come-as-you-are’ DIY culture. We have a pretty strong tradition in this respect, but it’s only really something you hear about when the older cohorts start yarning (we never write anything down about ourselves here, I swear).
Like over the last couple of years I’ve increasingly noticed we only really celebrate our alt and DIY cultures once they’re about 20-30 years passed and someone personally cared enough to keep artifacts from when they were around - like with that 80s-90s DIY punk-gig poster exhibition put on at the State Library a little while back. All stuff made on photocopiers and stapled to power poles during the Bjelke-Petersen years, someone just kept a bunch of them and bam - an admittedly really interesting exhibition. Nothing gets to be around long enough to be appreciated - so we never really learn who’s doing what and how good it is until its been scraped off or firebombed unless you already knew, you know?
Point being, I reckon it would be really cool to deliberately subvert our cities de-facto culture of waiting until something’s gone to appreciate it! Small steps, but I think it’d be cool to try building a bit of that culture in here.
TL;DR, what do we think? I get around the city a bit and every now and again I see a new work I think is cool or interesting. Would people be interested in seeing stuff like that on the sub? Like snapshots of the art being made in our city.
This’s a community, thought I’d ask first - we’re all figuring out what this place and our feed wants to look like. Unless people say otherwise, I think I’ll just put things up as I see 'em. Would be really cool to see what’s being made in parts of the city/suburbs I don’t usually pass by if anyone else wants to join in! Lets appreciate our cool shit IRL!
I’m keen. Graffiti is art.
Slightly unrelated: I want to get our workshop door repainted, and thought it would be cool to get a graffiti artist to do our logo instead of just a boring single colour.
How do you go about engaging a local artist in that format? Just kind of hang around the spray can section of the nearest Bunnings?
Huh - well, I guess usually you’d commission someone you know of through somewhere (like their Instagram or something), but for a cold call? I guess you could get in contact with some local spray shops for a pointer towards someone taking work (if you’re looking for somewhere with skin in the local game, Crush City in Annerley might be able to help you out), otherwise take a browse through BSAFs insta (Brisbane Street Art Festival) for artists or styles you might like to reach out for. Find someone who’s work you like, ask them about a commission, how much and if they can’t most will know a person who could.
But yeah, very relationship based space as far as I can tell! Soda Mauf and Emmanuel More have done commercial mural work before and they’re great, Soda is a West End legend - hell, EEKAS just did a mural in that new yuppied-to-hell Harris Farms and that guy is a writers writer (such a weird connection there, would love to hear how that came about one day).
Won’t speak for all, but I think most would be (at minimum) happy to hear someone wants to commission their work.