The Melbourne Stencil Festival has started!

This year the festival will also present several satellite events at various venues. Check out:

– “Spray The Word” at J-Studio’s Library Gallery at 100 Barkly St, North Fitzroy (last year’s festival venue). Until 16th August.

– “The Power of Color” – live spraying of San Francisco-based aerosol artist ChorBoogie at Federation Square. The Amphitheatre, Flinders St on Saturday, 2 August from 2 pm.

Go to www.stencilfest.com to find out more

Artist Feature – Ralf Kempken Let’s bring it home this week and learn a little about our own Ralf Kempken. For years, Ralf Kempken has mastered the art of producing paintings with multi-layer stencils and aerosols. “My approach to the stencil is primarily that of a printmaker”, say Kempken. “I produce multiples that are always similar but by nature of the medium, never the same. The stencil is a method of reproduction that sits across the disciplines of photography, painting and printmaking.”

Although he is not a street artist Ralf’s brilliant works have been exhibited at the Melbourne Stencil Festival in 2006 and 2007. In the up-coming 2008 Melbourne Stencil Festival Ralf has been selected as one of the main featured artists in the Five Continents – Six Artists  showcase, representing the Australia-Pacific region.

The history of stencil art For centuries stencils have were used in home decoration, fashion, ceramics and many other decorative arts. Stencils can been found on the walls of English mansions, like the Treasurer’s House in York and on my Chinese dinner bowls. As a decorative art technique stencils have been largely ignored by high art but that has changed. Like other decorative art techniques, silk screens and fabric work, stencils are now a contemporary art technique. Art has moved out of the gallery and on to the street. Debate over new anti-graffiti laws in Victoria: The new laws are based on the premise that “illegal graffiti is a serious problem” and not a minor nuisance. The new laws are draconian. They reverse the onus of proof, requiring the person charged to prove that they had a legal reason to poses spray cans. Harsh anti-graffiti in Europe and America haven’t stopped graffiti but it has decreased the quality of the street art where it has been enforced. Instead of large multi-coloured pieces ‘throw ups’ in one or two colours are common. Confusing illegal graffiti will all types of vandalism the Victorian Department of Justice cites an ABS 2005 survey on crime where vandalism was identified as ‘a problem’ by 26% of households. However, according to the same ABS 2005 survey 33% people believed that house break-in was a problem. And 30% of respondents believed that there was “no problems in their neighbourhood.” The cost of graffiti removal is another point frequently argued. This is a weak argument as graffiti laws and policy, unlike many other crimes, determines the cost of graffiti removal.

A Reminder •    The Festival will be held at the Yarra Sculpture Gallery warehouse at 117 Vere Street, off Hoddle St, near the Collingwood Town Hall, Melbourne •    The Festival will run from 1 – 10 August.