STREETS AHEAD
VIBRANCE FESTIVAL Bidencopes Lane, Hobart
V ibrance Festival is well named: the event has left the once-grey environs of Hobart’s Bidencopes Lane an absolute riot of colour and style. The festival, which took place over the week of February 19-24, transformed a back alley behind a shopping complex into a remarkable hive of paint, artists, music, ladders and scissor lifts. It was possible to watch the various artists at work, and the speed with which some of them tackled their task with spray paint and brush was thrilling to watch. The atmosphere of the event was fun. For one week, the laneway became the most exciting space in town.
That’s all done now, but the art remains and needs to be experienced while it’s fresh. Outdoor art is made to decay and fade, and it will doubtless be drawn over soon enough – that’s how it goes. One of the reasons street art is special is that first and foremost, irrespective of the content, it’s always art that reminds of the transience of mortality. Beautiful in the first flush of creation, everything fades into venerability, and that decay serves to emphasise the fleeting brightness even more.
The artists and styles of work on display are diverse. As with any group exhibition, some work stands out more than others, but something to really celebrate here is the sheer size of some of the art.
It’s a real thrill to see some striking, largescale works by local artists. Jamin Kluss, who is well known for his gallery and street work, shows excellent form with a large and beautiful image that stretches up two storeys, and the screaming peacock work by OdiOne is a total jaw dropper. It was particularly exciting as well to see artists working in the traditional graffiti style, which we so often see appearing and disappearing illegally around the city. Their work is strong, and the history of this type of art stretches back decades and deserves acceptance and appraisal. The work by Norah, Deamze, Rekab-Mail, and Horas are all sterling examples of this style at its most refined, but special mention has to go to the twisted pink tag by Chooks. Elaborate and magical, this work demonstrates extraordinary talent.
Also worthy is the big red work of Tom O’Hern, whose art style is one of the most recognisable and wonderful in Hobart these days. O’Hern’s work spreads across a large wall and is filled with a monstrous comedy. Aedan Howlett’s beautiful image of a native Tasmanian freshwater lobster is one of the best works I’ve seen from this artist.
A standout is hard to judge, but the obsessive patterning of Sam Dobransky held me for a long time. Street art is rarely subtle – but Dobransky has created something engrossing that stays in the memory.