Perhaps it is the ephemerality of the street art, the knowledge that what makes your heart throbbed today might soon be replaced by another unpredictably genre of art by tomorrow. Perhaps it is the spontaneity, the accidental collision of the masterpieces and graffiti in vandalism both colonizing the same surface of wall. Or perhaps it is the sophistication of the art forms, the implicit political and social messages embedded in those inscrutable sprays of paint and expressive stenciled images.
There are just too many reasons that made this narrow pedestrian laneway at the southern edge of the central city a renowned art mecca in Melbourne.
So on a breezy afternoon in March 2016, I intentionally made a walking
detour to the laneway to capture some of those transient public art before they
disappear and being replaced by other tags and treasures.
First came a masterpiece celebrating the sacredness of the aboriginal
land, a cruel reminder of those ill treatments suffered by the indigenous
during the white settlement. The soulful look of an aboriginal boy at the top
of the wall was arresting and definitely a sight not to be missed. A Big
Brother poster seated sinisterly above the graffiti covered wall, chanting silently
its famous slogan “War is Peace, Freedom is slavery, Ignorance is Strength”. A perplexed
cartoon panda, some abstract arts in black and white, some eccentric creatures
from fairyland, an evil-looking monkey, all sitting side by side with each
other in this bizarre gallery of modern and old-fashioned paintings.
There are plenty other locations in Melbourne that display such unique
form of street arts. We will leave those for another day. But as for now, let’s
just indulge in these luxurious arts offered by the distinctive Hosier Lane.
Location:
Running north-south between Flinders Lane and Flinders Street, right
opposite the entrance to the Atrium at Federation Square.
See also updated blogpost: Hosier Lane and its censored artworks (April 2016)
No comments:
Post a Comment