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Space invaders: australian . street . stencils . posters . paste-ups . zines . stickers

Exhibition dates: 2 September – 5 November 2011

Meek, Begging for change 2004
National Gallery of Australia Canberra. Gordon Darling Australia pacific print Fund 2007. © Meek

Drawn entirely from the collection of the National Gallery of Australia, the first Australian institution to have collected this type of work, this touring exhibition surveys the past 10 years of Australian street art.

To further explore the impact street art has had on the contemporary art scene, RMIT Gallery is commissioning a public art project with local street artists. The graffiti wall will take place in a laneway near RMIT Gallery during the exhibition. A public seminar, Vandals or Vanguards?, discussing the political, social and artistic aspects of street art and zines, will take place at the gallery on Monday September 26 with local and interstate artists and experts

Space invaders looks at artists and their iconic street-based works at the point of their transition from the ephemeral to the collectable and from the street to the gallery.

Featuring 150 works by over 40 Australian artists, this exhibition celebrates the energy of street-based creativity and recognises street stencils, posters, paste-ups, zines and stickers as comprising a recent chapter in the development of Australian prints and drawings.

The exhibition is curated by Jaklyn Babington, Assistant Curator, International Prints, Drawings and Illustrated Books at the National Gallery of Australia. This exhibition is part of the National Gallery of Australia’s extensive program of sharing the national collection with the whole of Australia.

While modern hip-hop inspired graffiti reached Australia in the early 1980s, Australian street art is a relatively recent phenomenon.

A major strength of Australian street art is its ability to mix pop-culture imagery with political messages. From hard-hitting protest to political satire, clever combinations of sarcasm, mockery and parody, the means to mix art, politics and the street press is now in the hands of a new generation of Australian artists.

Space invaders also explores a paradox that has emerged in Australian street art in which an early flirtation with new technology has given way to a sentimentality for the traditional and the handmade.

While numerous approaches and diverse creative philosophies make up the Australian street art scene in 2010, the true and central constant has been the do-it-yourself ethos. Space invaders takes a close look at street art and the many ways that artists are getting up, getting out there and getting seen.

The exhibition is curated by Jaklyn Babington, Assistant Curator, International Prints, Drawings and Illustrated Books at the National Gallery of Australia. This exhibition is part of the National Gallery of Australia’s extensive program of sharing the national collection with the whole of Australia.

This exhibition is supported by the Contemporary Touring Initiative through Visions of Australia, an Australian Government program, and the Visual Arts and Craft Strategy, an initiative of the Australian Government and state and territory governments. The Cultural Partner for Space invaders: australian . street . stencils . posters . paste-ups . zines . stickers is NewActon/Nishi and Molonglo Group. The exhibition is also supported by Special Media Partner Triple J.

For Schools: School tours are available and Education Kits are available to download from the National Gallery of Australia website

Events

	01/09/2011 Opening of Space invaders: australian . street . stencils . posters . paste-ups . zines . stickers With Triple J presenter Deacon Rose performing a DJ set
	02/09/2011 Curator's talk, Space invaders With Jaklyn Babington, Assistant Curator, International Prints, Drawings and Illustrated Books, National Gallery of Australia.
	26/09/2011 Vandals or Vanguards? Space invaders Street Art Seminar, moderator Jaklyn Babington, Eloise Peace, Sticky Institute and street artists Nails, Civil and Jumbo.
	06/10/2011 Seniors Festival morning tea and live printing event. Space invaders Free Seniors Festival morning tea and live printing event with Twoone. Seniors only please.

Sponsors

The National Gallery of Australia is an Australian Government Agency

This exhibition is supported by the Contemporary Touring Initiative through Visions of Australia, an Australian Government program, and the Visual Arts and Craft Strategy, an initiative of the Australian Government and state and territory governments.

Cultural partners

Social media partner