‘A world full of art is not a bad thing’: Street art festival kicks off in Brisbane
Every year, artists from all over the world are invited to leave their mark on the walls, streets and buildings of the city during the Brisbane Street Art Festival.
“We have between 25 and 50 artists each year from everywhere: South America, China, Hong Kong, Europe, America and Australia,” says festival founder and director Lincoln Savage.
A mural painted for a past BSAF. Credit: Brisbane Street Art Festival
“We’ve painted more than 300 permanent public artworks across the city over the nine years it’s been running.”
Savage co-founded BSAF in 2016 as a way to showcase the city’s burgeoning street art scene and create opportunities for local artists to express and gain visibility, without the red tape.
“The legislation, the admin, the hustling to get permission to paint something is a nightmare,” Savage said.
“Ideally, every artist that’s in the festival turns up to a wall and can paint the design that feels right for them and their practice, without having to worry about permissions or access to equipment.”
Superordinary, the arts hub founded by Savage in Northshore Brisbane, will act as ground zero for BSAF which runs alongside the city’s Open Season program.
Melbourne street artist Damien Mitchell is one of two artists commissioned to paint the walls of Fortitude Valley live music venue The Tivoli’s car park throughout the two-week outdoor festival.
“I like to work with the history of the area and do some research to find out what the buildings are used for and the demographic,” Mitchell said.
The Brisbane Street Art Cycling tour takes participants to public works across the city. Credit: Brisbane Street Art Festival
“And think of something which might play off the existing architecture or maybe tells a local story.”
As The Tivoli is predominantly a nighttime venue, Mitchell has planned to use “deep reflective colours” to catch the eye of show goers.
“A lot of my recent stuff has been exaggerated realism. It’s been a good challenge to try and design something to fit that maybe isn’t my typical portrait.”
Mitchell has been immersed in urban art scenes across the world, including while living in New York and Prague. For him, public street art is a placemaking tool and helps people connect with cities.
“I like to use public art as placemaking when I come to a new city. I might not remember the street name but I’ll go, ‘oh yeah, there’s this wall on this corner and you take two blocks and go to this wall’.
“A world full of art is not a bad thing.”
The Brisbane Street Art Festival runs from Saturday, May 4 to Sunday, May 19, with the official launch party at Superordinary from 5pm tonight.
The festival includes free mural sites, exhibitions, workshops, panel talks and a street art cycling tour, ending with a closing party at Felons Barrel Hall on May 18.
Visit the festival website for the full program and more information here: https://bsafest.com.au/.