Street art: My first experience with counterculture

Portrait of Kate Moss by Banksy. Source: stuff.co.nz

As a public school graduate, my experiences with "counterculture" were mostly limited to hating my parents and listening to alternative rock on Rage. I failed at being punk when I pierced my nose with a nappy pin and it got infected and pussy. I even smoked weed at a Christian music event, but when they asked everyone who "wanted to be saved" to ascend the stage, I got paranoid and ran to the car park. Then I ate two packets of Doritos.

"Napalm Girl" by Banksy. Source: D2 Group

But everything changed when the internet began in 2009. I got an iPhone and used Facebook to stalk friends I used to know in the real world. One of these humans once shared a photo of a "Banksy" artwork of that hungry napalm girl running arm-in-arm with Mickey Mouse and Ronald McDonald. I thought they were showing her where to buy a Happy Meal, and, as a regular consumer of these global brands, I was impressed that Banksy combined Vietnam War imagery with universal symbols of American capitalism (land mines sold separately).

Banksy's "maid" stencil in London. Source: Bored Panda

I did some Googling and found out Banksy was a "street artist". Within minutes it dawned on me that I'd become part of something bigger, that I joined a counterculture which self-reflexively deconstructs and satirises the art establishment, and society in general, with illegally placed pop imagery. I immediately bought some Minties.

John Fekner subvertising billboard. Source: Artist a Day

I began following street art blogs and social network pages to unite with my comrades. I learned about stencils and wheatpastes. Even graffiti didn't seem annoying because it had "artistic genealogy". Street art also helped me justify spending 2+ working hours on Facebook each day. It's where I share photos of street art to my network of followers and each receives about 15 likes or comments (before tax). My affiliation with the movement has helped me cultivate the edgy, neo-anarchist identity I always wanted.

Street artist Shepard Fairey got 'smashed' by AP. Source: Charleston City Paper

Other street artists I like include Shepard Fairey, but he's no longer cool after losing a court case with AP. It was about time he took one for the team!

Space Invader mosaics. Source: Mosaic Ideas

I also really dig Space Invader, but I generally find the French to be feuking stupid, so I unsubscribed from his barely legible mailing list.

Mr Brainwash street artwork. Source: Wooster Collective

Let's not forget Mr Brainwash - one of my idols - who is proof that you don't need creativity to join the cause.

Now I walk the streets and photograph street art on my phone. I share, blog and run it through 2c Instagram filters. Being part of this counterculture is a value-add to my life and I don't know who would listen to me without it.

Have you ever found your identity through counterculture? Have you ever thought "over-30s suck?" Is it time for a REDvolution?

You might also like:

■ My First Art Exhibition Press Release
■ Acid Midget Manifesto

New Banksy stencils

Banksy recently updated his website and Acid Midget thought it was worth hosting some of the works here. His name was all over the web and trending on Twitter while I was in Southeast Asia, and I'm still catching up on what went on in that time.

I liked a recent post on London-based Hooked Blog detailing the influx of Australian artists visiting and moving to London, getting up. You might remember a recent Facebook update I published on Bridge Stehli and Ben Frost; Stehli is currently living in London and was hanging out with Frost as recently as last week. Seems like the place to be for many.

Stay posted for a wrap-up in the coming days of street art I found in Southeast Asia. And leave a comment to let me know if you love/hate/covet these Banksy pieces.

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■ Banksy beefeater
■ Banksy trolley stencil
■ Banksy plane loveheart. Is it real?
■ Bristol: Banksy artwork destroyed

Banksy beefeater stencil, London

I use stencils like the Banksy pissing beefeater for comic relief when the street art news cycle makes me tired and apathetic. Keeping abreast with every new wall and publicity stunt can be a full day's work.

I wonder what Banksy's plan for bombing London will be when the Olympics rolls around. He's depicted kids in recent stencils and AM is hoping he returns to the Evil Corporations narrative.

What stencils do you want to see? Old skool biting-wit Banksy, or something gentler? Which Melbourne laneway do you want to see it removed from?

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■ Street art is made for the internet
■ Street art of 2011
■ Banksy plane stencil
■ Banksy trolley stencil
■ Banksy destroyed

Street art is made for the internet

Bristol street artist Banksy recently put paint on a wall and blogged it to raise web traffic in the digital-first art era.

If you're an artist working today, you need a Wordpress blog, Tumblr, Flickr, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Blogspot et al. If you don't have at least seven content streams, updated daily, you're a failure. And probably an asshole.

Vandalog has discussed the prominent/ironic/ignored school of 'Street Art for the Internet', with artists such as Mobstr (pic above) and Lush (pic below) proving that street art has truly gone digital.

But street art and graffiti have garnered so much mainstream attention because of the internet. Funny or thought-provoking walls are easily digested as 100kb JPEG files. Memes that are emailed, blogged, tweeted - rather than alleyway eyesores you don't want your kids to see as they smoke their first cigarette.

Bet your grandparents love it too.

Via Vandalog, Banksy

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Banksy trolley stencil

Street Art of 2011

It's that time of year where we look back on what's behind us and decide what sucked and what was bloggable.

Aside from posting a bunch of street art this year, I interviewed Beastman and Philjames. I also spent a month in Europe seeing incredible art and posting it on Facebook.

I think 2011 was the year street art began to plateau; I'm looking forward to seeing if that's the case in 2012.

(Found in Athens)

The European Debt Crisis has been a staple news item for the past few months. And the sentiment this massive mural conveyed - "we're f-cked" - was quite effective.

(Via Unurth)

Banksy made this stencil after British graffiti writer Tox was sent to prison for more than two years for tagging. The sentence generated a strong reaction from the graffiti community.

And in case you forgot, Invader was also arrested in LA for vandalism in April. Comes with the territory.

(Made by Fukt)

This Iwo Jima parody is my favourite Sydney stencil of the year. Not only is it eye catching; it's poignant, ironic and hilarious.

(Submitted by Bag)

This was the year of Slug. The prolific artist left this spastic dog on so many Sydney walls that he is now one of only a few artists working illegally on a regular basis.

He is also selling a zine called Sugar Shark.

The infamous (and highly irritating) hipster posters that popped up this year are still plaguing the streets. I tried to contact the number on one of the posters. There was no response.

However, the response to my post was good. Thanks to everyone who wrote in.

Monsieur Andre also guest blogged on Acid Midget in 2011. He wrote about being in love with girlfriend Annabelle Dexter-Jones, having a rad time tagging...and feuking a lot.

Andre also brought quite a bit of traffic to the blog this year. Don't ask me why.

By far the biggest street art event in Australia this year was the Outpost Project. It only finished a couple of weeks ago, but fortunately some of the works will be kept there this summer.

Tens of thousands of people visited Cockatoo Island to see a showcase of the most important urban and lowbrow artists in the world.

In my opinion, it was a watershed event.

Another turning point in street art's transition from underground to mainstream was the release of Banksy's mockumentary Exit Through The Gift Shop.

He was nominated for an Oscar and then banned from attending the ceremony. He didn't win. But the film was successful at least.

I also wrote the Acid Midget Manifesto in June. It began as a Facebook status, then grew and grew. This blog was never intended to be anything more than an exploration of Sydney and its streets - tinged with conceptual ruminations - but it has become more than expected.

Have a happy New Year - see you in 2012!

Banksy plane loveheart. Is it real?

It must be Banksy month. That's a good thing. I've been reading Wall and Piece for the hell of it.

I bag on the poor guy a lot, but he is genuinely passionate about street art and ruffling feathers and Exiting Through Gift Shops and stuff.

This was one was found in Liverpool, England.

Via The Lonely Villein.

Banksy trolley stencil, London

This unconfirmed Banksy stencil - now buffed from central London - will become authentic with enough circulation on the internet.

It will take on a life of its own and become something unto itself.

It will live on through hack blogs like Acid Midget, to the point that no one really cares whether #Banksy made it or not.

All that matters is the ability to generate trending topics on Twitter, headlines on Huffington Post and website traffic through farming highly bloggable content by the famous street artist @Banksy.

Photo credits: 1, 2.

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Banksy artwork destroyed in Bristol :(

Fukt: Sydney laneway street art

 (Images found at Victory Lane, Camperdown)

I was browsing the web on my iPhone while walking alone through Sydney's laneways last Friday. I would call myself a flaneur, but I was too busy stalking the one I love on Facebook.

If I could translate profile page loads into roses, dates and confidence she would love me too.

I was about to trip over a gutter so I looked up from my phone, because I was forced to, and onto the footpath/sidewalk/concrete.

I saw two stencils, the one above by Fukt. It depicts a bum resting at home -beside a supermarket trolley in the street.

The phrase 'Best We Forget' is a play on the ANZAC phrase 'Lest We Forget', i.e. it's how we remember the Australian and NZ men and women who fought in the wars.

Fukt is Australia's equivalent of Banksy in terms of style. I would go so far as to say he is Banksy's equivalent of Banksy.

And I saw this too. I'm still unsure who did this or what it means. I see a boy, a boy looking up at me (you're such a bad father) with a firecracker/Red Bull/light saber.

I'm not immediately alarmed, possibly because homeless people are a more visible pollution, but I know this kid is in trouble.

Wait - is this kid me?

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Fukt: Iwo Jima McDonald's Stencil

BRISTOL: Banksy artwork destroyed

(Source)

The work of popular street artist Banksy has been attacked in a brazen act of vandalism and we must find who did it and 120 Days of Sodom them.

According to the Internet, Team Robbo and/or BSK were responsible for the attack on the four-year-old painting at Upper Maudlin Street, Bristol.

Here is the original:

Did Banksy deserve this attack? Does a living graffiti legend deserve critical immunity because he creates mass consumer irony?

The answer is [insert coin]

SLOVENIA: Miha Artnak makes Layers

 (Via Unurth)

The Miha Artnak makes highly bloggable street art installations in the conceptual vein of Little People.

It's also similar to Banksy's Gaza West Bank stencils, which caused a flurry of wet trousers a few years back. 

They illustrate how urban environments are unnatural and there is magic beneath once the horror of steel and concrete.

The grass is always greener, they say, but I've ne'er seen life richer than life itself. Still; Miha is a romantic, and so am I.

Are you?

Graffiti artist Tox jailed for 27 months

(Source)

Graffiti writer Tox has been jailed for more than two years are being found guilty of seven counts of criminal damage.

British Transport Police released a statement describing how Tox, aka Daniel Halpin, was an"unemployed student" and caused "disruption to passengers" through his vandalism of property across England.

The press release stated:

"Daniel Halpin (24), of Camden, North London, was jailed at Blackfriars Crown Court on Friday, 15 July after he was earlier found guilty of seven counts of criminal damage."

The 27 month sentence came after Banksy created a mural at Camden in Tox's honour.

Will throwing Tox in the slammer deter other 'unemployed scumbags' from tagging?

Or is it justified because "he is no Banksy"?

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Banksy Tox Graffiti

LONDON: Banksy Tox graffiti

(Via Unurth)

Popular yet unknown street artist Banksy has produced this stencil to generate publicity from the hype surrounding the imprisonment of graffiti writer Tox.

A jury has found Tox, aka Daniel Halpin, guilty of criminal damage. He now faces possible prison time.

In an ironic gesture toward judicial bias and Banksy's public persona, this latest piece comes after the Guardian reported that prosecutor Hugo Lodge told a jury:

"He is no Banksy. He doesn't have the artistic skills, so he has to get his tag up as much as possible."

Glad we cleared that up. Obviously the law permits 'culturally significant' vandalism if it makes a wall on your property worth more than the property itself - or if it raises the profile of small villages like Bristol.

There are stark paradoxes in the way graffiti and street art are simultaneously lauded and loathed. Public and bureaucratic perceptions of these art forms are polarised, but then sometimes not.

Meanwhile, artists like Banksy become wildly popular, and trashy graff writers like Tox are sent to prison.

The difficulty in placing graffiti and street art within the art history canon, the complexity in taxonomising them, means more arrests and more shocks are likely.

LOS ANGELES: Banksy stencils ruined, sold

Banksy has been ordering lackeys to paste stencils all over Los Angeles in the past week.

He is trying to get a big media penis pointed at his face so everyone will see when it's time for a jizzy money shot at the Oscars.

Banksy's mockumentary Exit Through The Uterine Canal is nominated for Best Documentary, although it isn't technically a documentary because the second half is fiction.

The focus of the second half is 'fine artist' Mr Brainwash, who Exit's scriptwriters created. He is now selling prints off his website as a way to legitimise fiction. MBW is now a meme, just like author Truman Capote's In Cold Blood was when it was published - a non-fiction novel made up of 50 per cent fact and 60 per cent fiction.

(Image source)

Someone has also trashed the Crayon Gun piece. The initials MBW (Mr Brainwash) add irony to ironic circumstances. It's like Post-Post Modernist dialogue between artists who don't have any fresh ideas.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE:

LOS ANGELES: New Banksy Stencils

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Banksy bombs Sunset Boulevard billboard

 

 

 

 

 

New Banksy stencil in LA

 

 

 

 

 

 

Banksy banned from Oscars

LOS ANGELES: New Banksy stencils

 (Image source)

So Banksy has again hit Los Angeles with stencils to get blogs and Muffington Post and AOL to focus on him.

This is so if his Oscar-nominated documentary Exit Through the Dollar Shop wins an Academy Award he'll sell more merch/prints.

If he loses to a better film he'll still have racked up millions of dollars worth of publicity and be able to sell more merch/prints.

(Image source)

Do you like this high-pressure piss dog? It attacks American capitalism with such gnashing wit, doesn't it?

(Image source)

Close-up of high-pressure piss dog. Been thinking about buying a puppy to keep me company. I'm lonely.

Thinking if I can watch the dog consume stuff, like biscuits and little children, it'd make me happier. No matter how much I consume nowadays I always feel empty.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE:

Banksy bombs Sunset Boulevard billboard

 

 

 

 

 

New Banksy stencil in LA

 

 

 

 

 

 

Banksy banned from Oscars