young and free
“I like renegades – there’s something so attractive about their natural instinct to defy convention.” Anon.
Some call Australia the ‘lucky country’, but we’ve always made our own fate. From a rebellious pas we’ve forged an identity steeped in cunning ingenuity, creative discontent and unorthodox flair. We’ve staged rebellions over rum, gained notoriety and won Nobels. We invented cask wine and Wi-Fi and we’ve won countless world titles. There may not be a lot of us, but we’ve always packed a punch.
So it is no surprise that with nothing more than a can of paint and a glint in their eye Australians are taking the street art scene by storm. It’s time for the rest of the world to sit up and take notice.
Young & Free will be the most significant exhibition by Australian street artists ever seen in the United States. The show will feature fresh work by thirteen of Australia’s finest urban art guerrillas – from the already internationally acclaimed to the burgeoning up-and-comers.
This tribe of artists comes from a variety of backgrounds: brilliant new work by notorious 80’strain painters through to the sublime subtlety of a modern day Rembrandt armed with a spray can. Young & Free is a reflection of Australia’s thriving street culture with a strong grounding in the past and a firm focus on the future. These artists are modern day bushrangers, patrolling the lanes from Melbourne to Manhattan.
This show features a mix of direct sprays, stencils and paste-ups, representing the rich and varied groundings from which these artists have grown. No matter their age, medium or style, the Young & Free artists all share one thing in common: they want to give the urban landscape a fresh coat of paint.
There are many similarities between Australia and San Francisco. Both have famous bridges, internationally established street art cultures and, of course, trams. What is different is our beginnings. Australia’s criminal foundations have seeped into our national persona – Aussies are born with a spirit of rebellion. As the opening lines from our national anthem proclaim, ‘Australians all let us rejoice, for we are Young & Free.’
The cans have been capped, the wheat paste stirred, and the stencils packed: this is the most important Australian street art exhibition ever, mate.
Other Articles You May Like from BSA:
Manchester in UK hosted a street art convention in May called "Cities of Hope" and 10 international artists worked on pieces that often addressed issues of social justice. Swiss duo Christian Rebecchi...
Whether by design or organically grown, we have always gravitated to what we call "Magnet Walls" - those graffiti/Street Art gardens in a town or city that are an open canvas for artists to get up...
Today a wrap up of BSA at an unusual location in Colombia to see a new initiative with Street Artists in an abandoned distillery brought back to life with their imaginations and penchant for transfo...
BSA is in Moscow as curators of 50+ international artists in the Artmossphere Biennale 2018 for its 3rd edition called Street Art Wave. Till the end of the month we'll working with a stellar cross s...
Anticipation buzzes in the air as Stavanger braces for TelmoMiel's upcoming, completed piece, a highlight of the Nice Surprise Festival that honestly has already produced several surprises across...