I love art in all it’s subjective glory. How lucky are we to be surrounded by a symphony of colours, shapes, symbol and images. Art is now so accessible that it truly has moved beyond the confines of galleries and house walls.
There is a plethora of street art in Auckland that I encourage you to take notice of what’s around in your local neighbourhood.
It would’ve been so inconceivable to think 10 years ago that art could feature on the side of public building walls, alleyways, shop fronts and public objects. In the past people tended to associate street art with graffiti or forms of vandalism(!). But the rise of Banksy and other prominent street artists showed that public art could be playful, beautiful and sometimes deep and meaningful. Forms of graffiti have also been noticed for their artistic appeal too (if you want a full experience of this, then go to Berlin!).
New Zealand has a strong pool of edgy, contemporary artists, many of whom pay homage to our strong South Pacific roots. Some of my favourites include Flox, Component, Benjamin Work, Charles and Janine Williams, Askew, Owen Dippie, Andrew J. Steel (formerly BMD)… the list goes on. There are also lots of street art pieces done by community and youth groups too, for example, the Kakano Youth Arts Collective have some great pieces dotted around the Henderson shopping centre area.
So next time you wander around local public spaces, draw your attention to the bright splashes of colour around you. There is much to admire and behold!
#xmascountdown2017 From 1-24 December I will blog daily suggestions with tips and advice on awesome things to do, see or experience during the festive season. The summer also represents a perfect opportunity on mental and physical wellbeing; a time to re-charge, re-energise and to re-focus. You’re welcome.
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