street art

 

Fitzroy street art

When I first arrived in Melbourne I was obsessed with the street art.  I even paid a friend of a friend in beer to take me on a tour of his favourite Fitzroy graffiti.  I love the ever-changing nature of the art form – how one piece will cover the next.  A stencil could be covered by a tag one day, then completely painted over the next.  It is a reflection of the time it was made – an impression of the moment.

I am shocked and appalled by the recent laws the Victorian government has passed.  It is ridiculous that a person can end up with an on-the-spot fine of $550 just for possessing a spray paint can or be searched without a warrant for spray paint cans if that person is on or near public transport.

Melbourne is known as one of the best places in the world for stencil art.  It is a major tourist attraction.  There are books and films about the scene.  The Melbourne Stencil Festival which ran August 1-10 attracted international artists from Germany, Iran and the United States.  The 2007 Festival attracted more than 4,000 visitors.  

A1one, stencil artist from Iran, told The Age: “I do street art and keep away from galleries because of the censorship.”  Graffiti art is a way for many artists to express themselves freely and show the world their view without having to deal with the monetary and political boundaries of galleries.

Worldwide the streets are used as a tool to make a statement politically and artistically.  Cafe Babel reports on a group of artists called Third Wave in Poland, whose “aim is to awaken the public from indifference…Graffiti and posters push for freedom in Tibet, Chechnya or Birma, as well as against issues such as drug abuse or McDonaldisation of culture.”

Why is the government attempting to stifle this process in Melbourne?  Isn’t Australia supposed to be part of the free-thinking world where there is freedom of speech (although, I realise, not constitutionally like in the US)?  Shouldn’t the government be encouraging this kind of art in our laneways – not only for tourism, but also for allowing us all a voice?