Street Art 2015

So, I've been enjoying a very warm Spring here in Sydney with the exception of the past few days (and today)....I've had the most annoying cough, sore throat, and ..... lack of voice.  I'm so hoarse I can't speak above a whisper.

Okay, enough whining. (Honestly, if it's still a problem on Wednesday, I really will need to consult  a physician)

Missing voice aside, it didn't keep me from going to a art exhibit at aMBUSH Gallery at the Living Mall on Friday evening.  

In the exhibit this year there were 92 admissions from 21 countries.

Here are a few of the pieces that I really liked.

This is my favourite (and now my phone's new locked screen wallpaper!)

Others that I like (not in any order):

 The winners were from Poland and couldn't be present to receive the award, but they did submit a video.  They were "in disguise".  Here's a quick photo I snapped while it was playing.

 It must be a SERIOUS crime in Poland to "deface" public structures with spray paint.  While I don't really know much about "street art", I do know what I like when I see it.  Texture, subject, contrast, and color really capture my attention.

Okay, so the winning piece is pictured below:

The photo doesn't do it justice.  It really is a wonderful piece of work.  The base appears to be textured, reused wood.  It's a multi-media work with reused and thin rusted metal, and a motor plate.  And includes for what seems (to me) the typical dark and deathly theme of the skeleton.

I should read up on why pervasive themes in street art include the dark and deathly....I can only relate it to the theme of "softness" represented by the breezy landscapes and milky well fed and well covered ladies of the victorian impressionistic era.

There also seems to be quite the encouragement of street art here in Australia.  Last Summer (Oct-Nov 2014), I spent several weeks in Melbourne, where the city commissioned and actually encouraged street artists to decorate the alley ways along the CBD.  The artwork was and continues to be incredible (I'll have to dig up a couple of the photos I took).

And in early winter this year, I had the pleasure of walking through the "Street Art Walk" in Katoomba, NSW where an outdoor gallery is dedicated to ongoing 6 month exhibits and commissions for Street Art.

So, there you have it.  Everything I know and think about this art form. 

Cheers and have lovely day!