Fairfield-2016

 

Tuns stomper Newcastle

Local writer Tuns producing two double size stompers next to Beresford Lane (Newcastle's equivalent of Melbourne's Hosier lane). Simple yet effective the large throw-ups sit opposite the prominent Newcastle Interchange. 

 

Brunswick walls

Brunswick trackside walls are hot property in Melbourne. Its a balancing act of don't cap what you can't burn or try finding a new wall or if there's no wall space go up. Multi-storey graffiti is a sign of healthy and thriving graffiti scene. Its good to track change. Brunswick like most inner-city places has gone through a huge change in the last 10, 20, 30 years. Even since the 2013 visit I noticed lots has changed. More built up, more green space and graffiti is flourishing. 

2013

The roll-up days of Ha ha and Sync. Ha ha featured in the Melbourne street art documentary Rash from 2005. Ha Ha was Melbourne's answer to Banksy. His passion and productivity for street art, was hugely influential. In contrast to his big bold roll-ups along train lines his main icon was his stencil work. Without artists like him its hard to imagine what the stencil scene would have been. In 2005 the stencil graffiti capital book was released. This boom in street art lead to laneways dedicated to stencil work like Canada Lane Carlton and Blender Lane in Melbourne. Interview with Ha Ha. We all but lost Canada Lane, fortunately it was immortalised somewhat in the book Uncommissioned Art an A to Z of Australian Graffiti. More on that later.  

2024

Golfa appearing seemingly everywhere.

2013 Artists below

Retayner

Bailer

Bailer and Retayner famously put Melbourne on the map with their album Hedge Burners. Over Spray stands strong as one of Melbourne's best graffiti themed hip hop songs released in 2012. These two artists traversed the medium of lyrical abilities back to back with visual artforms. They've done it beyond most artists lifetime dreams. On one hand Retayner has released burners on walls across Melbourne and united the Oz hip hop scene to bring together to bring best unrivalled cyphers. Bailer's book Wall Stories was published, showcasing a comprehensive take on the Melbourne graffiti scene. Probably the biggest Melbourne graffiti book since the likes of Kings Way. Publishing anything on this scale in the graffiti scene is fraught with challenges where the legality of artwork can make writers run the other way. Between them a solid combination that's influenced the likes of many Melbourne and Australian artists.

2013

2024

To go back to the same walls 10 years later and see the same artists holding the yard, what a sight to behold. Especially in a trackside environment where the space is premium. Resume and Bailer piece holding ground. The new emergent generation pieces above of Kewl and Cola. There's consistently and increasingly a range of artists that get the highest and best spots, includes the likes of Uzi, Cola, World, Smel, Getting Up, Golfa and of course Nost and even Porke from New Zealand was notorious for it.

Trackside

Berwick, Pakenham Line

My new mission is to blog post about every suburb in Melbourne. Here's some photos from Berwick September 2013. First found out about this wall (shout outs) through http://www.melbournegraffiti.com/melbourne-graffiti_photos_pieces_berwick_1.php

Its unusual to have such a long blank canvas on any of the outer suburb towns in Melbourne, this is an exception. Every time I go past it Metro seem to have buffed it. Still good for getting name up though..

Shem

Western Hwy

Makatron

http://makatron.com/

https://www.facebook.com/MikeMakatronArt/

Camberwell's concrete valley of graff

Too many people just getting up, just to be on Facebook

Whiz Kid

I salute Whiz. Such a accomplished writer, constantly getting up in the East, Inner-North and Central parts of Melbourne. He has got one of the best throw-ups going around in Melbourne. It takes a lot of skill to produce hollow throw-ups (no fill) in tight spaces. If you make a mistake, you can't redo the fill or lines, its there for everyone to see. Throw-ups are highly under-rated and tend to get neglected. Australia's most popular graffiti Facebook page, Melburn Graffiti just doesn't post enough throwies. 

 This is got to be one of the best bin pieces going round

W is a notoriously difficult letter to work with in graff but Whiz does it with ease and originality. 

Interview with SDM crew

How does the Melbourne graffiti scene rate on an international level?

Melbourne scene rates as one of the best in the world,we have some of the dopest,most dedicated writers. As far as style writers Melbourne has always been at the forefront of innovation,  there is a rich history of writers pushing the boundaries and honing their craft,this tradition of mastery is being carried on by some really skilled new talent,which is awesome to see. Our home grown writers can cut it against the best in the world.

What does graffiti have to offer to society?

Visual stimulation, pleasure, displeasure, wasted magistrates time, clean up bills, herald sun stories to read

What role do legal walls have in graffiti?

Depends on your perspective, good to chill at on a Sunday with mates

Who are the fresh writers on the Melbourne scene atm?

wow that could be a long list for sure.....SOME of my faves atm Dvate,Askem,Duke,Bailer,Scaler,Ling,Porno,Sabeth, Mords, Silk, Plea, Dem189, Shem, Akuze, Shame, Tilts and so many more!

When does graffiti look bad? 

Most of the time..........

Dandy Line

The bleak built-up urban environment of Dandenong provokes the artistic community to change it and make it better. Everybody hates graffiti but huge grey concrete walls are just as fucking offensive. Dandenong is a great multicultural diverse town with good graffiti, great River Red Gums and shit architecture. Industrial landscapes are slowly changing with the state government's urban renewal project "Revitalising Central Dandenong." This will pour money into public infrastructure to improve the amenity.

Melbourne's most productive bomber atm

Recipe for good graffiti?

To produce good graffiti like the trackside example below, requires some of the listed different elements,

• Surface-high quality smooth surface.... primed concrete is premium and the brick wall is not far behind
• Audience-the spot is public and seen on a regular basis by different people 
• Accessible/Inaccessible-Accessible sites will always attract the majority of graffiti artists, a smaller minority will be encouraged to go further and "break and enter" for harder to reach spots gaining notoriety amongst graffiti artists
• Buff-Lack of buffing over years will often allow walls to naturally establish.... generally walls improve over time and you reach a climax period when the art rarely changes
• Fame-directly linked to audience and inaccessibility

Trackside graffiti near East Richmond, Melbourne

This wall demonstrates the aggressive territorial approach of KSA crew. They tend claim large areas by progressively expanding their pieces and throw-ups onto adjacent wall space. 

Alphington Piece

CKA crew

The trackside walls along the Werribee train line are culturally rich in graffiti. Big name artists come to paint the back walls of industrial buildings. This first piece is particularly unique with the use of a free style approach colour outside the lines approach. The 2nd piece shows a change to a public style directly related to its prime track-side position. 

                                                       City Krims Again, City Krime Art

Iron Or(e)?

Australia is the worlds largest exporter of iron ore. China is the largest importer using the material to make products like steel for growing cities. China has been stockpiling Iron Ore and developing urban areas. They have reduced the amount of Iron Ore they need and the price per a tonne has more than halved. The estimated value of iron ore exports for 2015 year is a whopping 90 million dollars. 

This absolute classic piece of graffiti displays our dig it up mentality. Nothings sacred when it comes to generating wealth. Even if mining uluru seems extreme, aboriginal sacred sites are continually threatened by mining in areas like the Pilbara. The Labor party introduced a mining tax so the wealth generated from mining could be spread more evenly amongst its citizens. In 2010 in Perth  mining fuckwit Gina Rineheart addressed  the rich minority the 1,200 crowd, standing on the back of a truck demonstrating her poor level of intellectual intelligence by shouting "AXE THE TAX". The Abbott government terminated the mining tax because it was bad for business. The mining industry is protected species in Australia endorsed by the Liberal Party 

Source-http://www.miningaustralia.com.au/news/90-billion-the-downgraded-value-of-forecast-iron-o

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-06-03/fact-check-australia-share-iron-ore/6483632

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/features/ancient-aboriginal-sites-at-risk-in-the-pilbara/story-e6frg6z6-1227069546753

Akuze

Tight!

Hobart Graffiti Video

For all the Hobart Kids..

Belgrave Line Beef

Cevor and Sider have started a battle around the Belgrave-Lilydale train lines. Cevor deliberately wrote over one of Sider's most prominent pieces and said "You wanted it." Since this happened many of cevor's pieces have been capped in retaliation, including at Croydon, Ferntree Gully and Upwey train stations.