Damn. It’s almost May! Sorry this is so late but it’s worth the wait. March was another action packed month in Melbourne.

Starting off with Baby Guerrilla‘s show in Footscray. Baby Guerrilla’s paste ups have been adorning Melbourne’s walls for a few years now, and they are some of my favourites, her gallery work was new for me and I loved seeing a different side of the artist.

Adnate was 1 of 3 Melbourne graffiti/street artists that entered the renowned Archibald prize. From the Archibald website “The Archibald Prize is awarded annually to the best portrait, ‘preferentially of some man or woman distinguished in art, letters, science or politics, painted by any artist resident in Australasia’.” It’s great to see some more modern painting techniques making it into this more conventional competition. Adnate painted a portrait of Samantha Harris; an Australian indigenous model. Also make sure you check out the video by Michael Danischewski below.

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Category: Events, Gallery/Museum Shows, Interview, Photos, Random, Videos | Tags: 2013, Adnate, Archibald Prize, AWOL, AWOL Crew, Baby Guerrilla, backwoods gallery, Be Free, blo, cdh, Collingwood, DaMentalVaporz, David Russell, Dean Sunshine, DMV, DVATE, E.L.K, Fitzroy, futura, GENT, Hancock and RAD, Hennessey, Invurt, jaw, Kaffeine, Luke Cornish, Luke McManus, lush, MArch, Melbourne, Melbourne Monthly Madness, Melbourne Monthly Madness March, Michael Danischewski, Samantha Harris, SDM, SDM crew, Shane from AllThoseShapes, Shida, slicer, Sulman prize, Think, vhils, Will Coles

Sweet Toof, Paul Insect, and Lush met up in Mexico for some fun and a lot of painting. So much good work. You can find it yourself in Mexico City and some of the surrounding suburbs, but I’ve got a lot of it here too…

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Category: Featured Posts, Photos | Tags: lush, paul insect, sweet toof

Here’s some of the amazing stuff that happened in Melbourne last month. I’m sorry it’s so late – I am already working on the March post. Damn I am proud to post about my home town. So much goodness every month. Enjoy!

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Category: Events, Featured Posts, Gallery/Museum Shows, Photos | Tags: Adnate, All Good Things, Be Free, Bonsai, Callum Preston, cdh, Creepy, Dabs Myla, David Russell, Dean Sunshine, Deb, DVATE, Erin Greer, everfresh, Ghostpatrol, Giant Storybook project, herakut, Invurt, Junky projects, Kyle Hughes Odgers, Louis Marnell, Luke McManus, lush, Maid, Meggs, Metro Gallery, Michael Danischewski, miso, Monster and the Girl, phibs, pow wow, rone, SDM, SDM crew, SOFLES, Too High To Heal, twoone, Wunderlust

Earlier this month, Lush had a one-night solo show at Backwoods Gallery outside of Melbourne. He sent over these photos and a video, where it becomes progressively more clear why the show only lasted one night…

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Category: Gallery/Museum Shows | Tags: backwoods gallery, lush

Lush is returning to Backwoods Gallery outside of Melbourne for a solo show (I believe his 3rd there) this week. The show, The Evolution of a Graffiti Shit ****, is open for one night only: This Friday. Lush’s shows are always a bit of a madhouse, so I would definitely recommending checking this one out, although obviously not if you’re easily offended (or, just really ever get offended about anything really). Seriously, should be great if you can handle it.

Photos courtesy of Lush

Category: Gallery/Museum Shows, Photos | Tags: backwoods gallery, lush

Occasionally I write pieces for Complex.com. This week, they published piece of mine called 10 artists using the internet like the street. List posts can be entertaining, but I wouldn’t normally say that I’m proud of my list posts. This particular piece is different though. It’s a list of visionary artists doing game-changing work that blurs or even completely ignores any lines that exist between the street and the internet. These are the artists I’m writing about right now in the book that I’ve mentioned here from time to time. So consider this post a little teaser of what I’ve been thinking about lately, and what I’ll be writing about in great detailing in the future.

Please check out the post, because I think these artists are doing really important work, and I’d love to get your thoughts on what they are doing. Maybe I’m onto something here, or maybe you think I’m on the completely wrong path. Either way, I’d like your input. So, go check out 10 artists using the internet like the street and let me know what you think by leaving a comment on this post or over at Complex.com, emailing me, or tweeting me.

Thanks.

Photo by Lush

Category: Featured Posts, Photos, Random, Videos | Tags: lush

I know it’s not Cyber Monday yet, but today we’ve got a special Black Friday announcement: Vandalog has teamed up with Lush on The Vandalog Shop‘s first poster release.

Lush’s poster was inspired by the United States Postal Services’ Label 228 Priority Mail postal label that so many sticker artists swipe from post offices around the USA by the hundreds, and Lush has blown up that label nearly to nearly 30x its standard size. In addition to the posters, each buyer will receive a special bonus item of original work by Lush, from an actual tagged postal label 228 to a tagged poster. The posters are available now for $15 plus shipping and handling through The Vandalog Shop. Pick one up by clicking here.

When I first saw Lush’s work, I wasn’t sure what to think of it. In fact, I’m still not sure. Lush is either the great jester of graffiti or the absurd conclusion of graffiti culture. He is either the most important or least important graffiti artist working today. Is he offensive for the sake of being offensive, or for the sake of art? It’s impossible to say. All that I’m sure of is that he won’t appreciate me calling what he does “art.” I approached Lush about working with us because The Vandalog Shop is a serious project, but it’s never safe to take yourself too seriously. I just want something on my wall to make me smile, and Lush has delivered on that front with this poster.

Category: Featured Posts, Products, Vandalog Projects | Tags: lush

The more we get to know about Lush, the more it seems he is just a typical redblooded guy: He loves bacon and wants to blow up babies.

Photos by Lush

Category: Photos | Tags: lush

A note from RJ: Luke left the show before this stuff happened. If anyone knows more about what went on, let us know in the comments.

Lush a renowned “so called” graffiti artist from Melbourne, Australia, opened his show tonight at Klughaus Gallery in NYC.

As usual his work is controversial and rather obscene … Lush’s graffiti pieces combine his trademark lettering with often x-rated images of pornography and naked women posing alongside (and incorporated into) his pieces. I really like his work.

His illustrations (the feature of this show) provide a very apt commentary on the graffiti scene and all the associated traditions and beliefs.

Lush wasn’t at the show (maybe because he’s probably a wanted man haha), but, in what I thought was an innovative addition to the show, he appeared live on Skype from Melbourne (donning a bandana to cover his face) from his bathtub. This was an excellent addition to the exhibit as it allowed people at the show to interact with the artist. He was also live in twitter and @lushsux and the #lushsux hash tag were getting lots of attention. Both positive and negative.

The good thing about Lush is that he does not at all take himself seriously and his work completely “takes the piss” (an Australian saying meaning makes fun of) the whole graffiti and street art scene. A much needed viewpoint in my opinion.

The show opened tonight and runs until the 7th of September. Worth having a look at if you are in New York.

All photos by Lukey

Category: Gallery/Museum Shows | Tags: graffiti, Klughaus Gallery, lush, Melbourne, NYC

There are a lot of shows coming up soon worth checking out. Here are some of I wish I could check out in person…

• This week, the Iranian brothers Icy and Sot will have their first New York solo show, and it’s only open this Thursday through Saturday. Made in Iran will be at Openhouse, 379 Broome Street, New York.
• Lush also has a show opening in NYC this weekend. His will be a show of drawings at Klughaus Gallery. It opens on August 25th from 6-10pm. Lush’s show are practically a place to expect surprises, so best get their opening night before a blog like this one ruins the shock value for you on Sunday. If you do miss opening night, the show runs through September 7th.
• Next month, Stephen Powers aka ESPO will have his first New York solo show in over 7 years. A Word is Worth A Thousand Pictures opens September 7th from 6-9pm at Joshua Liner Gallery.
• Galo Art Gallery in Turin has a great two-man show coming up with Bue and Chase. Brothers from Different Mothers opens September 9th from 5:30-9pm.
• aMBUSH Gallery in Sydney, Australia has a big group show coming up with 67 artists including Anthony Lister, Askew, Does, Numskull, Vexta and The Yok. For Black and White All In Between, all the artists have painted on canvases of uniform sized and only used black ink. The show opens on August 31st from 6-9pm.
• Jonathan Levine Gallery‘s next three solo shows open on September 8th and you will not want to miss any of them: Judith Supine, Audrey Kawasaki, and Jeff Soto. All three shows open from 7-9pm on the 8th. And speaking of Levine, I caught their current show earlier this week and it is great. Go it see before it closes.
• Gold Peg’s Release The Wolves go-karting project in South London will have a gran-prix expo on September 1st. It’s gonna be some crazy and fun stuff. And art too, but I think that’s secondary.
• Shepard Fairey is finally showing those paintings he did for Neil Young’s latest album. The few pieces I’ve seen photos of are impressive. Americana opens at Perry Rubenstein Gallery (which recently moved to LA) on August 25th from 7-10pm.
• Finally, this last one is a mural festival, and it promises to be a big one… This year’s Urban Forms festival in Lodz, Poland includes Os Gemeos, Aryz, Inti, Otecki, Lump and Shida. Certainly the most-anticipated work of Urban Forms is the promised collaborative mural between Os Gemeos and Aryz. The events run from August 24th through September 30th and will bring the total number of murals organized in Lodz by the Urban Forms Foundation to 22. I can’t wait to see the photos of these pieces.

Photo courtesy of Joshua Liner Gallery

Category: Festivals, Gallery/Museum Shows | Tags: ambush gallery, anthony lister, aryz, askew, Audrey Kawasaki, bue, chase, does, galo art gallery, gold peg, Icy, inti, jeff soto, jonathan levine gallery, joshua liner gallery, judith supine, Klughaus Gallery, lump, lush, Numskull, os gemeos, Otecki, perry rubenstein gallery, release the wolves, shepard fairey, Shida, Sot, steve powers, The Yok, urban forms, Vexta