I have been writing and painting walls; writing this blog and painting walls white, not being a street art writer. The boys are still bombing along the Upfield line in broad daylight as I ride my bike to the hardware shop to buy more undercoat. There was a advertisement about the Graffiti Prevention Act’s presumption of guilt for carrying spray cans taped to the hardware shops counter. Spring has definitely arrived in Melbourne but there is still a chill in the air.

Victorian Police Minister, Bob Cameron is quoted in Herald (“Anti-graffiti activists infuriated by pro-spray demonstration” August 20, 2008) saying graffiti was not art, and the laws were introduced to deter vandals who were committing a serious crime. It is hard to see the boys painting on an old corrugated iron fence as committing “a serious crime”; it is easier to understand Bob Cameron as wildly exaggerating to defend draconian laws that remove the presumption of innocence. And nobody needs more Police Ministers making ignorant comments about what isn’t art after the Bill Henson fiasco.

At the Melbourne Stencil Festival panel discussion “Cans Up - you're arrested - the impact of the Graffiti Prevention Act (2007)” last month. The talks by Senior Constable Linda Hancock of Victoria Police about the enforcement of Graffiti Prevention Act made the humanity of the police main defense of the role that the police in enforcing the draconian Graffiti Prevention Act. This defense is also one of the many criticism the Graffiti Prevention Act that the police are human and therefore possibly arbitrary and prejudiced in who they choose to search and charge.

There were other criticisms of the Graffiti Prevention Act raised at the panel discussion. The Graffiti Prevention Act ignores the rights of children to be diverted to education and rehabilitation. It will also be a net-widening exercise increasing the number of criminals, as if there were enough already.

Leader Community Newspapers (September 9) is using headlines like “Graffiti party fear” and “Moreland police prepared for graffiti party” to create a conflict leading up to “Don’t Ban the Can” protest, street party and street art exhibition even if the stories don’t justify the headlines. It is a bad strategy by poor sub-editors to exaggerate the drama of the story. (“Don’t Ban the Can” is from 12pm onwards, 20 Sept., Wilson Ave, Brunswick.)

The chill in the air is not just the weather it is political.

Making his way through Birmingham, Alabama, Banksy decided to leave his mark on an abandoned Chevron Station

The Teeth project desde Alemania nos deleita con estas originales piezas que mezclan los art toys con el graffiti y todo hecho a mano.

Una iniciativa que nace con la idea de mezclar distintos materiales en una misma figura.

Cada juguetes está hecho 100% a mano y existen alrededor de 150 figuras distintas, armadas de sneakers, máscaras, brazos, armas, adornos, telas y lo más importante: dientes!

Un gran proyecto que propone una estética fuerte y agresiva a un mundo el cual aguanta de todo, el de los art toys.

Más figuras y graffitis en su Flickr.

E alguns trabalhos em lona:

E como não podia deixar de ter, alguns trabalhos em muros:

Para ver outros trabalhos do Peeta acesse aqui.

Assez marrant d'ailleurs : sur les Frigos où ils sont tolérés, leur surface allouée diminue…

On passe de la tolérance à la transgression … Le quartier commencerait-il à s'humaniser ? ;-)

San Francisco, CA, 9/5/08 – Circa 2004 I attended an exhibition at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in SF entitled, Beautiful Losers, which featured work from a diverse group of visual artists who spawned from street culture, specifically, the subcultures of skateboarding, graffiti, punk, and hip-hop in urban America. With my roots in the Southern California skateboarding culture, supplemented by a couple years of living in hyper-diverse SF, this exhibit was strangely familiar and of course, inspirational. Fast forward to September 2008, I’m walking down the street and as I’m passing a small independent movie house, I see a poster for the Beautiful Losers film. Stoked to see the familiar aesthetic and intrigued by what the film may convey, I make sure to attend opening night. As expected, the film was a documentary about the artists, their lives, and the art they create, but it was much more than just that. Beautiful Losers was a film about life, told by some of the most interesting and honest losers I’ve come across, including Aaron Rose, Ed Templeton, Shepard Fairey, and Stephen Powers just to name a few. It was about a cluster of friends from all different backgrounds coming together and creating something bigger than themselves and unique to the world around them. It was about growing up knowing you don’t fit the norm, embracing it, and telling everyone else to fuck off. Put it this way, the word “eccentric” doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface, so gather all the beautiful losers you know and check it out…

Get Inspired or Go Home…
Scheme-On

Clapham councillors have reported the damage to the council and the police and are asking for urgent removal. Following earlier damage  to the bandstand and other buildings on Clapham Common clearing off this graffiti sadly diverts resources which could easily be put to better use.

If you have any information regarding whom did this please contact Clapham Town safer neighbourhood team in confidence either by email ClaphamTown.snt@met.police.uk or call 020 8721 2825.

I'll warn you up front, this guy doesn't stop moving - he's stuck on permanent fast forward!

Oh, and I have no idea what the story is with the bloke in the helmet.  Durt said he would explain it to me but I haven't heard from him recently.  For anyone in Melbourne looking for something to do, the gallery launch is this Tuesday:

"Grassroots - an urban arts experience"
Gasworks Foyer Gallery
9th Sept - 20th Sept 2008
Launch on Tuesday 9th September 7pm - 9pm

Anyways, with this in mind. All those in the Frisco, bay area should check this out: (i blogged about it a few weeks ago)

Beautiful Losers:

Premiered last night in SF and will be on view until September 12. apparently it's supposed to be truly inspiring and one of the best films this year. If you haven’t seen this film you need to go out and support these guys. i know i am when i get to cali!

at

Landmark Lumiere
California at Polk 
SF CA

also some just nice asthetic shizzle:

LEGO VERSIONS OF NINTENDO GAMES

oH YEAH, i'M A 90'S KID FO SHIZZ

see more at:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/skinnycoder/sets/72057594067730271/

ya digg?

After the three "free-4-wall" exhibitions at thebricklanegallery, the gallery is now hired out for a new show related to spray-paint, again. The hipartgallery features very talented artists, couple of very good pieces. Loads of stencils again, but all pretty detailed and well-done. If you have been at Cans recently, you will know one or two of the artists, however, 95% of the show is new work. Check it out until coming week, as it is a one week only show. (If you intend to buy, be even quicker and call Brice's private mobile, as quite a lot is already sold...If you cannot make it, I have a little present for you - check it out HERE...

As soon as I find the flyer, I will post a link to the organiser, who hired the gallery.

]]> http://specktro.wordpress.com/?p=237 Sat, 06 Sep 2008 17:39:35 +0000 specktro http://specktro.wordpress.com/?p=237 A quién de ustedes no les ha pasado que a veces se hacen un poco de tiempo libre en sus actividades diarias, bueno.... yo en mi trabajo muchas de las ocasiones ando baboseando y como tengo una libreta y una pluma cerca me entra el complejo de graffitero que jamás pude desarrollar al 100%, ya que mi made me dijo que me iba a convertir en un vándalo, aún así, yo sigo dibujando y rifándome como los grandes en ese campo, para muestra un botón, the specktrone hizo de las suyas en una hoja de papel...!!!!!

Me gustaría regresar a los días en donde yo dibujaba mucho, jajajaja!!! Eran buenos y se me facilitaba demasiado, voy a buscar mis bocetos y les escribiré un post enseñándoles cada uno de ellos, por lo mientras les dejo una pequeña obra de arte :P...!!! [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="by specktrone"][/caption] ]]> http://shock10.wordpress.com/?p=24 Sat, 06 Sep 2008 17:33:35 +0000 shock10 http://shock10.wordpress.com/?p=24 A big thanks to SNUB for his little shout out to the site. have a look here!

Graffiti in Paral.lel (Barcelona)

It was the night you hurled a can through a window that you first went back to Sam's place. You'd gone out to Hackney Wick again and had been writing on the boards that had started to go up around the Olympic Park site. Huge things, far taller than those used for any other building site you'd seen, but that same construction blue. You'd heard they were already employing someone whose sole job it was to keep the boards pristine. To travel up and down each day painting over whatever the night had left, erasing any evidence of questioning or challenge. It was then a perfect place to write. A sand box. A gigantic etch-a-sketch. A self-correcting canvas.