Friday, July 18, 2008

Bowtie...


Lately there has been a bit of beef in the Wellington Graf 'SCENE'. Older writers hating on the younger writers, some of it necessary while alot of it is just petty power tripping shit. After some constructive criticism I've decided to just blurt out what I think of it all...hate me if you will. Let it will be.

Yes we have some awesome established writers/street artists that deserve a shit load of credit for their abilities but why the anger and hostility towards each other. As graffiti artists your only true enemy is THE BUFF not each other. Yes getting capped must be a bitch not to mention the cost of paint and time it took to put it up on the wall without getting caught etc. But Wellington has a lack of wall space for everyone to be happy and not to tread on each others paint covered toes.

After reading some of the comments made on LEFTBANK there are alot of mixed reviews when it comes to graf. Leftbank is seen as a free-for-all when in reality I don't think it is. I think the only reason alot of people turn a blind eye to people painting there is because they would rather have it concentrated in one place than spread out all over the city. With the current graffiti laws maybe it's a good thing that people mostly only tag/paint down there. A friend recently got 'caught' there with a spray can and was taken away by the 5-0 only to turn up to court, wait around for ages and then be let off wasting time and money because of an egotistical green police officer who felt the need to abuse her blue klux klan uniform (thanks silenc)

I've been thinking about the transition between street and gallery alot lately. What does it take for street artists to put something on a canvas and sell by choice?? Will it still make them true to the'GAME?' Will they be hated on for trying to make money doing something they love? I agree that alot of people find gallery walls confining and yes, it is not for everyone. I find galleries a little different to most of the people I know. I love looking at something hanging on a wall and trying to decipher any form of meaning it may have. Should graf be viewed in the very same way in a gallery as on the street? Does it take more preparation time going out on a painting mission than it does to exhibit a canvas? Who's not to say that some see a wall as their form of canvas or vice versa?.......... I don't know.

All and all I love graffiti, maybe not the ugly tags that have appeared lately due to the school holidays but im not so fond of the politics involved . Wellington is way to small for this big city shit. People get stabbed/beaten up etc for their art overseas so maybe we should be grateful that we don't have it as bad as them.

All writers! Keep your art alive and give us graf hounds something to hunt. but PLEASE leave your beef for the BBQ.

oO WGTN WALL STREET Oo

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