Street Art in Australasia

In my perambulations around several Australasian cities over the last few months I have been fascinated by the amount of colourful and imaginative street art found in city streets when one looks for it. Stemming from the copious inane scrawlings of the faceless that have defaced seedier urban environments, graffiti art has now evolved,  thanks to the talents of artists like Banksy, into an interesting and colourful art form.

Authorities in New Zealand's earthquake-ravaged Christchurch, where some 70% of the central city's buildings were either destroyed or structurally damaged in the 2011 quake, have encouraged street artists to utilise the temporary profusion of blank walls while the rebuild goes on. Blank walls surrounding carparks are also favoured spots and councils in Wellington and Dunedin have seen the aesthetic benefits of encouaging not just loca, but also internationally renown, street artists. In Australia, Melbourne has a number of  narrow lanes in the central city specifically dedicated to graffiti art, with Hosier and AC/DC Lanes, the latter named after the popular rock group, being particularly colourful and the Sydney suburb of Newtown also has a number of back streets dedicated to this urban artform. Even smaller cities and towns in both countries have some interesting murals by internationally renown artists.

I have selected ten of the many masterpieces I have seen in New Zealand and Australia over the last six months.

This very fine triple portrait by Xoë Hall, in Ghuznee St, Wellington, is a tribute to the pop star David Bowie who passed away in January 2016.

A parking lot at the Christchurch Casino is dominates by the 'Lips' of  Tilt, a French artist.

This bizarre artwork on a building in Vogel St, Dunedin is by the British muralist Phlegm,

Cleverly portrayed hands, holding pencils, seemingly draw the child-like graffiti at the entrance to AC/DC Lane in downtown Melbourne.

A suburban building in Newtown, Sydney, is completely covered in a rather puzzling, but well executed, 'sealife' mural.

The Belgian artist ROA specialises in wild animals and this giant octopus covers the facade of an office block in central Nelson, New Zealand.

In this new mural in the Westland town of Greymouth the artist has rather cleverly utilised the background trees to create the 'hair' of his portraits.

A colourful mural in Alice Springs reflects the desert history of this region in the geographical heart of Australia.

This rather cleverly-executed sailing ship appears to be about to tip down the side of a building in Taupo, New Zealand.

Perhaps this quote epitomises the thought processes of a successful street artist - this work is by the British artist Richard 'Pops' Baker and is in Allen St., Christchurch.

© Neil Rawlins  text & photography

My travel books:    One Foot in Front of the Other - First Steps

One Foot in Front of the Other - Full Stride

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