SHORT FICTION: Slug graffiti dog

(Graffiti by Slug at Oxford St, Bondi Junction, Sydney)

Today I asked a police officer for information. He said "I'm new here, I'm not the best person to speak to."

I asked if there was someone else that would help. "Not really, I'm not sure who would be able to".

He said it'd be better to send something to him in writing. He'd help me that way, he said. "Here, send it to this fax number."

I wrote the fax number down and asked if there was also an email I could reach him on. "Use that for now," he said.

I said thanks and hung up.

I called a neighbouring police station and spoke to an officer at the switchboard. I explained my story to her, what I was after, and that the other officer had asked me to send a fax.

She laughed. I laughed with her, enjoying the irony like it was a sugared almond.

"Ah-ha. Well. Their station also covers ours, so if he doesn't want to say anything, then I'd be pretty stupid to."

I said thanks and hung up.

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:

Slug Graffiti On Railway Track

Will Coles Phone Sculpture (gay-themed short fiction)

Bondi bomb stencil

(Hall St, Bondi, Sydney)

I walked to the Westpac ATM to withdraw cash so I could get all up in that Ricepot, a Thai restaurant in Bondi.

She was waiting for me there. I knew she was nervous. We held hands as we walked in but we let go when a short, smiling waitress approached us.

Inside the restaurant I saw a CASH ONLY sign. Fuck, I thought. I told my lady I only had plastic, and then I told her I only had a credit card. I said it was because I didn't have any cash. She said that would be because I only had a credit card.

I left.

I walked down to the ATM to get some dead presidents (nb. in Australia we call cash 'Dead Queens') (nb. we don't actually call it that).

I looked to the ground, a little dishevelled, and saw this bomb stencilled on the wall.

The woman in front of me took her cash from the machine and walked off, but I was still looking down.

I felt like I was ticking inside. Perhaps I'm just counting down to my own combustion.

interview: 2026

Bondi-based street artist 2026 imagines a modern dystopia in stencils and posters marked by a contrast between social decay, punk sarcasm and the objectification of women. Whether interpreted for social commentary, cynical critique or ironic bunny ears, 2026 makes statements and asks questions with street art in almost equal measure.

Apart from working in Sydney, 2026 has also posted in Paris, Sao Paulo and New York with the help of Eric Marechal's Street Art Without Borders project, in which he takes street art submitted by post and pastes it around the world.

I got in contact with 2026 to find out which street artists are an inspiration and about street art in decrepit spaces.

How long have you been a street artist?

I've always loved images with strong contrast. Positive and negative space. 1960's pop art was more of an influence for me than the graf scene. So I'm pretty new school with the street thing. My obsession with decayed spaces, crumbly walls and Krylon is more recent.

(Bondi)

Do you work in media other than stencils?

I'm testing out a fire hydrant at the moment. My neighbour's not to pleased. Her rhubarb is blue.

What areas have you stenciled/posted at?

Bondi, Surry Hills, St Peters. Paris, Sao Paulo and Naples (posted by Eric Marechal, Street Art Without Borders project). New York (ARC).

(Paris)

Why did you get into street art?

Bondi. Street art seemed the perfect forum for social commentary. It's evolving into a bigger project.

(Sao Paulo)

Do you have a favourite street artist/bomb? Why?

Well. That's a tricky one. Obviously Banksy's a pretty smart guy. I love the wit and intelligence. But that would be too easy... and too mainstream, as they say in Shoreditch. Pure Evil was the guy that inspired me to start painting. Krink's work is totally beautiful. As is Eelus. But every day I am blown away by the amazing artists I meet on Flickr and Facebook. There is an endless amount of talent and inspiration out there.

See more 2026 here.

street artist: 2026

(Pedestrian walkway, Bondi Beach)

This detailed stencil was snapped by my favourite photographer MK at the weekend.

It was splashed on this wall by 2026 (also Bondi's postcode), just in time for Valentine's day this year.

It depicts an ethnically diverse group of kids on a merry-go-round. They look serious. Two, which appear to be girls, look toward the left of the frame. The other two, boys presumably, look away from the viewer toward a heart-shaped helium balloon.

Seems love is hard to find, even when you're looking around.

Note the facial details and shadow play in this piece - top shelf.

Sadly, it has also experienced some hardship.

2026, if you're reading this, get in touch and we'll smash some Bondi Beach Burritos.

i love you (me neither)

(Pedestrian bridge, Campbell Pde, Bondi)

Saw Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life, a biopic of the French Singer Serge Gainsbourg, at the Palace Academy Twin on Sunday.

It was for the closing night the French Film Festival. Gainsbourg was a weird dude. Kinda scared me how much I relate to him as a human being.

Feel melancholic about his hit song:

Jane Birkin e Serge Gainsbourg - Je Taime…Moi Non Plus

vote for change

(laneway off Hall St, Bondi)

"Vote for change we can believe in."

- Captain Obama

Image editing by Melvyn Knipe.