Retake the City! - Street Art: The Viewers Guide

by Alex in Retake the City, Melbourne, Australia

My mission this week was go out and make a concerted effort to see the world of art and culture among Melbourne’s backstreets. Armed only with a tourist map and the camera in Tash's phone, we dove into the laneways and back alleys to see what all the fuss is really about. Let me preface this list by stating - all art is subjective, so I have tried to judge based on colour, condition and detail. So, with no further ado, I present for you my top three works of street art in Melbourne: 

3. Fire, Ice and Snake Eyes - The Croft (Croft Alley)

Croft Alley was my favourite of the little Melbourne laneways – partly because it doesn’t actually connect to any major streets (which gives it the feel that it exists solely for the sake of street art), and partly because it boasts the biggest, brightest, and best preserved of all the backstreets. It was hard to choose between many works down this stretch, however this work earned its place by virtue of its sheer size, taking up the entire width of the first section of the alley – too big for a single photo frame. Its use of colour is clever, contrasting bright orange and electric blue, and it remains in fantastic condition. While the wall has indeed been tagged by other artists, they are careful to avoid this masterpiece. If you’re looking for the best in Melbourne’s street art – ‘The Croft’ is definitely not one to be missed!

2. The Girls In Red - Hosier Lane

Hosier Lane is one of the most decorated laneways in Melbourne, and is in a constant state of flux as artworks are continually being painted and repainted over each other. This leads to the lane having a very confused, chaotic look, a tempest from which some truly great works can emerge without warning. Unfortunately this is not always the case. Hosier Lane as we saw it was overcrowded, over-tagged, and in some areas in desperate need of a blank slate to start again. These two little girls caught my eye, hidden in a doorway inlet, as it seemed to so beautifully highlight the island in the chaos that they represent. Although they are stencilled rather than handpainted, the detail is excellent and they are in superb condition. The black and white contrasts sharply with the riot of colour going on around them, while the splash of red stopped them from fading into obscurity and I was able to remember them clearly - even days later.

1. Giant Anteater... Thing – Corrs Lane

The coveted first place in my list goes to this magnificent work, located at the back of a parking lot in Melbourne's Chinatown district. The first thing to strike me about it was its impressive size. Take a look at the picture, and compare it to the parked van for scale. Holy crap! What really cemented this giant... thing's place at the top of the list is the attention to detail that's gone into each patchwork section. From the rope ladder descending from the creature's hindquarters to the unlucky mole falling out of its grassy leg, no part of this giant unidentifiable thing is lacking in interesting little touches.

Honourable Mention: Noh Face, Hardware St

It's Noh Face... Need I say more?

 

Conclusion:

What I find most fascinating about the street art in Melbourne is the attitude towards it that seems to come from both the city council and the city population at large. In most other cities in the world, the term 'street art' is used as either a euphemism for, or an underground validation of, graffiti. But in Melbourne, the street art is held up as an example of the city's culture in a positive light, and publicised quite substantially as one of Melbourne's unique tourist attractions. 

In some cases, these works are commissioned, but in most cases the authorities have simply designated certain back streets as fair game for street artists. The result is purely organic, ever evolving, sometimes (potentially) offensive but never dull or uninteresting.

This is incredible, as it's such a contrast to the attitudes of some other cities, where graffiti is loudly but passively bemoaned as one of the inescapable side-effects of modern urban living.

As a ‘tourist’ these street displays were exciting and engaging and well worth a look. The best part of all is that they are all completely free to view! Although I would advise setting aside a couple of hours as the streets do not run concurrently and they can take some large detours. 

Next Up: Statues and Street corners. Stay tuned!

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