Deviant Devonport in Tasmania

Devonport a small regional town in Northern Tasmania of around 20,000 people. Its main claim to fame is the Spirit of Tasmania terminal which enables people to bring their car to the South island. This has got to be one of the smallest Australian towns with graffiti pieces. Under the Bass Hwy Bridge over the Mersey river is a different style of art. Pieces without traditional colours or styles, a different art culture. The main constricting factor for graffiti to proliferate in small towns is a lack of wall space. But also hard to attract that artistic culture which just flourishes in places like Melbourne.  

Wanna play tag?

Urban spaces are designed to look ugly, kept simple and made functional in a way........ if you want everybody in society to be a slave to the economy. What happened to rest and relaxation, our lives are based on productivity. Every fucking day we're told we aren't spending enough. The system in which we live is designed for us to work our arse's off with little reward. We all get sucked into this capitalistic system which doesn't work and operates only because we let it. Graffiti is part of a number of avenues in this world to culture jam society and take a non conformist approach. Don't feel obliged to follow this apathetic, self centered, me me me way of life. Cities make us think that we are the most important species on planet. Oh look what we built, but humans have next to nothing to be proud of. Australians live in a nation which supports freedom of speech but only if you tell them what they want to hear. If you build a dull city, people are inspired to change their community and make it beautiful. Every bodies interpretation of beautiful is different. I hate most things about human civilization and cities suck and drain resources from all around them to make what we think is progress. But this is the society we have and as homo saipens we are social animals and live and communicate together. That's also not to forget cities are places of concepts, and are gradually changing and experimenting with new dynamic ideas and thoughts. This is mostly why graffiti proliferates in urban areas. A city without graffiti would be bland totalitarian piece of shit 

These photo's make many people think, "well haven't they got something better to do?" You mean take a selfie, update their facebook status, post something on twit-head or watch mind-numbing TV. These walls speak out on behalf of the youths of today, graffiti is just a way for them to channelize their anger about this disjointed society.

3 piece carpark

Tasmania's often forgotten when it comes to graffiti in Australia. For many Melbourne's scene is where its at. I could be like any other person with a graffiti blog/fb or website and keep posting about the cities recent developments. But almost everybody forgets about the regional towns. Launceston in Northern Tasmania has a strong graffiti culture for a town with only 100,000 people. Its probably got one of the longest official legal graffiti walls in the country, and yet few people know about it. More to come on Launceston.... 

 Sometimes you have to search a bit but walls like this remain in Tasmania. Each piece was painted in 2010 the council has decided to support the art respect it and leave it. This work and graffiti more broadly has become part of urban architecture. Public art (graffiti) is part of the cultural infrastructure of urban and suburban areas.

Resume, Melbs

Tassie Freight Train Graffiti 2

The train yards in the Launceston are a popular place to paint. Orker probably the first island bomber in Tasmania has smashed some panels along with an earlier piece by style kings IKOE (Incredible Knights Of Enamel) https://www.facebook.com/theikoecrew. For more information on Tasmania's rail system http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rail_transport_in_Tasmania.

Richmond throwie

Tassie freight train graffiti

In Tasmania about 50km South of Launceston lies the important town of Conara. Conara was initially a overnight rest stop on the now midland hwy for coaches between Hobart and Launceston. The railway was developed and passenger services ran daily, until the entire passenger train network in Tasmania was shut down in 1978. Conara is the junction of the Fingal (coal) and Hobart-Launceston railway lines. It is now used as a rail siding.

Graffiti profiles-Mister (Tas)

A couple of years ago Launceston graffiti artist Mister (MR) took the graffiti community by surprise. This guy's tag was turning up on almost every street corner in the city. The unique tag even turned up on the top of the old grain silos that overlook the city, gaining maximum publicity and notoriety. Mister was also probably one of the few graff artists from Launnie who diversified their art using wheat-pastes and other imagery like a barcode and the 8 ball  alongside a tag. Because he was so prolific in his active years he has left behind a legacy and encouraged others to do so.  

This piece has been buffed (Tas Tafe)

Launceston Sea Wall

Hobart's Garbage Graff

On the road to the South Hobart tip is this little beauty. This garbage truck has been smashed by graff. Graffiti is always evolving and new frontiers are being pushed regularly. This is the first bombed garbage truck that I've seen.  

Solist (style king, from south island)