Artist tells Newton’s story with murals
For Andrew Tamati-Wright, aka Kerb1, his mural Intersection was a chance to tell Newtown’s story, wrapped alongside his own fourdecade experience with street art.
Tamati-Wright came from a graffiti background and has been painting in Newtown since the 1980s.
‘‘I initially started picking up these influences around 1983. We were in the first wave of hip-hop, we were breakdancing, rapping, doing graffiti, all that kind of stuff here in Newtown.
‘‘It had a really strong influence from the New
York hip-hop culture, and then it sort of developed more of a local vibe.’’
The wall on the side of Newtown Community Hall had been occupied by a previous mural by Tamati-Wright, before it was painted over by the city council.
The intersection depicted in the painting is the corner of Daniell St and Constable St, right next to where Tamati-Wright grew up.
‘‘Prior to the council housing going up at the Te Ara Hou flats, it was a big wasteland – the remnants of a lumberyard that burnt down. It had been left vacant until a group of social workers and youth workers had a vision to turn it into an adventure playground for the local kids.
‘‘They were basically allowed to run free and create all these different forts and slides and swings and stuff like that. It sprung up looking like a mini-village that the kids had built themselves.’’
But he also wanted to throw the story forward, representing the new generation of children growing up in and around the Te Arahau flats.
‘‘The image of a young girl, she represents the local kids that are there in council housing now. I wanted the future to be more conscious about environment and sustainability, so she represents a positive future going forward.’’
The painting was a fairly quick process given its size – but TamatiWright has always been a fast operator.
‘‘I think I did it over about three days – and we actually had to talk to a lot of people during the process. We had heaps of visitors, they had a barbecue and invited all the families and the kids down to the wall, so I had to stop and hang out with the kids as well.’’
‘‘I’m really proud. I’m really happy it’s here. I’ve got tonnes and tonnes of positive feedback from the community, from all ages.’’
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