Ears, Beastman and Numskull's studio

(Ears bar fridge sketch)

I was invited to the Annandale studio of some of Sydney's most prolific street artists this week.

I hung out with Beastman, Numskull and Max Berry where they're also based with Ears, Phibs and four other artists.

Art print retailers Stupid Krap are also based there.

There were canvases, posters and Ironlak cans strewn around the place. It got me wondering how hard it would be for these guys to maintain a high output without this creative space.

Darlinghurst street art, Sydney **UPDATED**

 (Langley St, Darlinghurst, Sydney)

The back streets of Darlinghurst often reveal exciting pieces of street art. Exciting because you might not expect them as you turn a corner or step out of a window.

The angel in this wheatpaste masks its face in shame. Sad.

 

This one is from Sydney artist Ears. Haven't seen much by Ears lately, although there are plenty of his pieces at retail outlets and cafes around Sydney and Melbourne.

 

I've seen this dashing duck before but can't remember who does them. If you know please get in touch and I will update.

**UPDATE: This is by Numskull. Thanks to Colin for the heads up.

 This is a collaboration between Beastman and Ears. What I'd like to see them create one beast. What would that look like? What's your biggest fetish? There, you have it.

This one is apparently by Sam Aja. It reminds me of a body tracing on Denison St, Newtown in this post.

I'm not sure who did the next two, although it's probably obvious to you. Let me know the name if you do.

**UPDATE: Thanks again to Colin for letting me know these cone head pieces by Max Berry.

 

Do you sometimes dream images likes this? Does it remind you of when you were young?

Another one from Ears. Are his masked characters just like us? They have multiple faces/personalities. They look unhappy.

Thank you for watching.

End.

Darlinghurst street art

 (Darlinghurst Rd, Darlinghurst, Sydney)

I found these images in the deep recesses of Acid Midget's photo database. I'm glad I did, because now I can share them with you like it's a bootleg vinyl and you're a Beatles fan.

These are located at Star Car Wash. Its main wall is filled with stencils and posters. However, I think some of these are now gone. The main poster above is by Jumbo and Zap.

But I'm not certain how many of these works are gone. That's because, when I visit Darlinghurst, I usually visit Una's for jager schnitzel and a quiet red. And I would usually say 'I also score sweet drugs in Darlo', but too many respectable people tell me they read this blog and now 'my audience is everything'.

The Sid Vicious stencil on the left is by Numskull. I'm not sure if he did the horn hat man too.

 This haunted house is by Mini Graff, who has a house fetish.

Vexta did this sleeping man. At first glance you'd can't be sure whether it's a person or not.

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Darlinghurst Car Wash Stencils

sydney street artists destroy mural, stab at council

 

This video depicts five popular street artists - Beastman, Max Berry, Numskull, Phibs and Roach - painting a mural for Scratching the Surface as part of Creative Sydney 2010.

Creative Sydney was a NSW Government and corporate funded creative industry forum held at the Museum of Contemporary Art this month.

The Scratching the Surface website (link) says it featured:

"An installation and live painting event exploring the quality and temporary nature of public art in Sydney."

This makes it clear what these artists painted was public art, not street art. Public art being funded/sanctioned of course. The state government was a major sponsor of the event and would not support vandalism. Graffiti costs the Gov/us over $100 million a year, according to the Sydney Morning Herald (link).

But if you watch the final minute of this video the mural is painted over. This was done by 'council workers', dressed in fluoro vests and mullets, who then stencilled "cleaned by Sydney Council" in the centre of it. These very talented artists defiantly destroyed their mural to 'metaphorically fuck' council for buffing street artworks.

This was ironic, considering the City of Sydney was one of three major Creative Sydney partners.

The Scratching the Surface website also says it was presented by Pedestrian, a pop culture website which recently took a hit at the Acid Midget (link).

This video was generated by We Are The Image Makers. Their site said the point of the mural's destruction was to "make a bold statement about the high quality but temporary nature of public or 'street' art in Sydney."

From what I gather, Creative Sydney was curated to appeal to middle-class Sydneysiders by putting them 'in touch' with art industry experts and cutting-edge artistic trends.