Streetwise
By Kiwi ana
1 February 2008
A lost opportunity led to discovery. I never knew such art existed in my part of town.
Just outside a local uptown wine bar there's a wiring box. For months it sported a graffiti tag: "Can you make me some cordial?" The irony of its placement always made me giggle as I passed by. When I finally visited, camera in hand to capture my amusement, it had been covered over by a poster.
Disappointed I turned back to my car and there illuminated in the late evening sun was a goldmine of spray-painted images lining a normally dark alleyway. Many pieces in a style of street art I'd not seen before in New Zealand. I greedily consumed the colors with my lens.
Of all the street art I have encountered while collecting these images, my favorite artist would be REG, who frames his pieces in gold and even made his own red wallpaper on the concrete alleyway wall. I like Miss Oche too.
I see the echoes of local business logos such as the 'splash on Winehot's window, and a distinctive portion of Roasted Addiqtion's logo. REG even comments on local politics; "Banky" is our recently elected Mayor! Each piece has something to offer, some refer to our neighborhood, our city and others to our NZ culture. Feel free to look at the notes on each photo.
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