Between the seas of grey suits, whitewashed walls, and worn down streets, street artists are injecting splashes of colour and concocting energetic pieces designed to inspire, question our moral standings, and put a groove in our step as we as make our way to the daily grind.
Love it or hate it (considering you’re reading this article, we’ll say love) street art is undeniably provocative. If you consider yourself something along the lines of an art aficionado or just happen to like really cool designs, here’s where to find street art in your city.
Brisbane
While Brisbane on a whole is devoid of large public displays of street art, many smaller, yet beautiful works of art are cropping up throughout this up-and-coming city. It’s the place where you are most likely to see murals from Brisbane artist Fintan Magee, who’s conversational, bold pieces often bleed of the wall, spilling onto the street or pre-existing garbage adding texture to the viewing experience. You’ll likely find his guerrilla murals in the hidden corners of New Farm, Fortitude Valley, and Red Hill.Besides this, the 4ZZZ community radio station building in Fortitude Valley is a towering vision amongst the traffic ridden area. West End also offers up some cool stencil pieces, and the ritzy James Street is home to some gems. More recently, South Brisbane’s often deserted Fish Lane boasts a free-for-all chalkboard displaying political commentaries, pop culture references, and many an Eddy was here. Head a little further south and you can check out the handiwork of 4040 Creative and even catch their upcoming street art film.
Image: John Kaye and Alan Kitzelberg (Commissioned by 4040 Creative)Sydney
Despite enforcing a zero-tolerance to illegal street art, you can still find pops of colour all throughout Sydney. With many places to explore, a walking tour is your best bet at discovering it all, although if you prepare to do it on your own two feet, one really must start in Newtown. Here is where you’ll find the iconic Martin Luther King mural on King Street, maintaining its poignant stance over twenty years since its inception. To complement the wall art, Newtown also boasts a series of concrete graffiti, a method in which objects cast in concrete or similar materials are transformed into artistic designs. Around Bondi, you’ll also find a series backstreet handiwork splashed upon the walls adding to the relaxed sand and surf culture.Melbourne
The phrases street art and Melbourne are practically synonymous, with fresh hints of paint covering a vast number of laneways, streets, spaces, corners, and coffee shops. Melbourne is a melting pot of art, culture and style: Be prepared to be dazzled, delighted and enlightened. The top pick is indisputably Hosier Lane; a wander through this iconic laneway and you’ll be greeted with an overwhelming display of avant-garde works which is best enjoyed after downing a coffee from Hosier Lanes very own Hoboken Café.Following this, Union Lane deserves an extra special mention after 70 artists were commissioned to redecorate the lane with their work; a lane that is constantly being added to. Yarra Place also features probably the most edgy and vibrant pieces in Melbourne, while the aptly named ACDC Lane has a somewhat neglected feel although has small bursts of beauty displayed upon the wall.
There’s a bunch of cool arty delights that we’ve probably missed, so let us know in the comments below, where you favourite places are to find street art.
NB: This is a sponsored post.
