Street artists from near and far will gather in Brisbane to transform walls into canvases as part of Brisbane Street Art Festival this year.
More than 50 Australian and international artists will create 50 large-scale murals across the city... Double the amount of last year's festival!
Festival Director Lincoln Savage answered some questions about the event.
What is the intention behind an event like the Brisbane Street Art Festival?
The festival was established to provide prominent showcasing opportunities for existing artistic talent in Brisbane. The city hasn't had many chances to do so in the past and the festival programme is growing substantially each year. Brisbane has a very strong visual art scene with many artists producing large-scale outdoor works, and there is a very strong interest from the community to increase the aesthetic value of public spaces with public art.
As Festival Director, what are you hoping people take away from what they'll be witnessing?
With the constant onslaught of outdoor advertising we are hoping that the works created during the festival will give people a stronger connection with public spaces around Brisbane. The way the programme is produced there is an opportunity to witness the artworks being created in real time and meet the artists as they work.
What does your role entail in regards to this particular event?
The festival was founded in 2016 by myself and David Don, however David has been preoccupied with other commitments so I have taken the lead Director role for 2018. My role is to oversee all curatorial programming, event management, stakeholder engagement, logistics, safety… Basically, a wide range of things. But we have a very strong team of dedicated people all contributing and managing the festival programme, throughout the development of the program all the way through to managing the installation of the artworks. It is becoming a massive endeavour with significant legacies being built across the city.
What do you love about street art?
Reclaiming public spaces for the people that inhabit them.
This is the third year of the event. Anything you're hoping to do differently from the previous two?
It is a constantly evolving project with new elements emerging each year. Our focus is to continually improve the career outcomes for artists and bring creative expression and communication to public spaces.
There are artists from more than just Brisbane. How important was it for you to include a diverse range of contributors for this event and why?
Brisbane is home to many amazing artists, some of which are considered among the best in the world! Bringing in international artists provides industry opportunities and creative communication between diverse cultures, artistic techniques. We have a number of opportunities for these artists to interact and hopefully contribute to the creative economy in Brisbane. Along with this we are very lucky to have a number of Indigenous artists on the programme this year including the duo Land Writers who will be producing a significant artwork in the middle of the CBD.
What are, in your eyes, some of the event's highlights?
Fish Lane will host three major artworks by Brisbane legend Sofles, Colombian artist Gris One and we are lucky to have Hong Kong artist Bao Hoon the programme. Mexican artist Said Dokins will be producing a work recognising the diverse and depth of Indigenous culture through a work exploring the lost languages of Queensland. To be honest, I am excited about every artist on the programme this year and can't wait to see the city get a bit brighter. The launch party at Ric’s on Sunday 1 April is going to be massive with a melting pot of amazing artists from around Brisbane and the world!
You've been quoted as saying street art is helping to redefine this city. How so?
We are hoping that the Festival is contributing to develop the recognition of the amazing talent that calls this city home. Brisbane has an incredible creative culture and this can be a way to showcase that on a large scale.
Sell Brisbane Street Art Festival to us in five words.
No more grey walls, please.
