Street art influences slap new life into ‘nasty’ bus terminal sign
A worn-out sign in a Nelson carpark has had a street artinspired makeover.
Artist Ann Braunsteiner’s solo exhibition SLAP! will be at Quiet Dog Gallery from tomorrow until September 10. As part of SLAP!, she has painted the Bus Exchange sign in Whakatū Carpark in her signature multi-layered style.
And while some artists might be worried about taggers damaging their work, Braunsteiner said she welcomed any potential graffiti, as it was all part of the street art medium she loved.
Braunsteiner usually paints on a canvas on the ground – meaning the upright iron sign provided a challenge. ‘‘When I splash paint, it’s hard not to get on the bus or the building.’’
While painting on wobbly iron may have its challenges, the sign had ‘‘character’’, she said.
Braunsteiner’s work has been influenced by street artists such as Jean-Michel Basquiat, and evokes the unsanctioned, dangerous street art of the 1980s.
Since Sunday, one person has written on the bus exchange sign over Braunsteiner’s work. She said she ‘‘really liked’’ this, and invited other artists to interact with the painting.
So far, community feedback had been good, Braunsteiner said. There was a crowd last Sunday watching her paint, and a bus driver told her she was doing a good job.
Quiet Dog Gallery co-owner Gill Starling said she got permission from the exchange for Braunsteiner to paint on the sign, which was old and starting to look ‘‘so nasty’’.
Braunsteiner started working on SLAP! shortly after lockdown in 2021. She said the exhibition’s title was meant to invoke a ‘‘slap to the eyes’’ with its bright colours and energy, and help people ‘‘wake up’’ after the previous two years.
‘‘Be awake, you’re still alive. You still need to make connections with other people.’’
Two works were created in collaboration with fellow artist Lee Woodman, invoking a gamelike energy and resulting in work unlike what either would usually produce, Braunsteiner said.