INVURT

Earlier this year, we heard about an ambitious project to transform Sydneys Harbours Cockatoo Island into a mecca of street art. When we first heard it, it seemed a long way away, and we weren’t sure exactly what it entailed. Over time, we started learning more, and getting an idea as to what it would encompass – and it was bigger, bolder, and more jam packed with awesome than we ever imagined. The Outpost project will be a showcase of Australian street art, and international street art, that outweighs anything that has previously been seen in Australasia.

Over the next five weeks, we’ll be focusing on the Outpost Project for our editorial content – we’ll still have our regular blogs, but we’ll also be running a string of content as we document whats going on up at the island. We’ve also been working with the wonderful ArtSeries Hotels to help coordinate several forums and artist showcases as well, and there will be all kinds of posts around those. The entire team here has been gearing up for this for the last few months – its here, and we’re totally amped!

So, this is your rough guide to the event – from here will be links to articles on each event, interviews, live blogging, photos and all the rest. Use this as your feed, or just keep reading as you normally would to keep on track – all the Outpost content will be tagged so you can always just check the tag feed … Outpost will be a ground breaking event in the Australian street art legacy – we can’t wait, because its going to be mad – so read on, bookmark this article, and keep checking back here for new content links.

This is only a guide, and we’ll keep it as up to date as possible, so if in doubt, please refer to the Outpost Project website.

Invurts Rough Guide To The Outpost Project

• What Its All About
• Whats Invurt Doing There?
• Where Its At – Cockatoo Island
• Outpost Project Festival Map
• Artists & Interviews
• Events & Exhibitions
• Outpost Forums
• Educational Programs
• Media Releases & Links

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Apologies for not having got to the photo recap or his Top 10 up over the weekend, I’ve been prep’ing for a show in a few weeks, as well as working behind the scenes on a heap of new projects for both the website, and our ReVurt Project – and a few things have been less than punctual! This is a good chance to say thanks to the rest of the Invurt crew for keeping on top of things here whilst I’m juggling everything! Just click on the pics for the full image if needed …

Also thanks to Dean Sunshine for giving us this awesome top ten! The man continuously blows us away with the plethora of images he takes, and this months selection of some of his favourites is grand.

Check out Dean Sunshines website for more pics!

All great things must have a closing party! So that’s what the guys from Everfresh will be doing this Friday night. As they say goodbye to their temporary work space at the National Gallery of Victoria, the crew will be displaying a whole bunch of new work that they, and some of their friends, have produced in their time there.

Though its been cool seeing the crew and the studio displayed so prominently in the city at such a worthy establishment, its really about time that the fkn crazy mad graff mobile got on the road – so maybe we’ll just think of this as its launch party, instead of the studio closing party – champagne, anyone?

Who: Phibs, Rone, Reka, Meggs, Sync, Makatron, Wonderlust, Prizm, Miso, Stabs, Mayonnaise
What: Everfresh @ NGV Closing party
Where: NGV Studio Space, the Atrium, Federation Square, Melbourne
When: Show is this Friday, the 8th of July, 7pm til 10pm.

Check out the Everfresh website for more details, as well as the facebook event page!

If its one of very few gripes we have about living in Melbourne, is that we can’t go to shows in other states, especially all the LoFi shows – because every single one in the past year or so has been fkn fantastic. We’re sure the Sydneysiders have the same gripes about not being able to always come to show here – so this one coming up would be great for those wanting a taste of Melbourne.

Taking a small portion of the dearth of talent in the Melbourne scene, LoFi will, next week, be hosting over seventeen Melbourne street artists in their group show, South Of The Border.

“Melbourne city is known the world over as one of the most significant
and sophisticated hubs for art that occurs in the streets & metro systems. Unlike other Australian cities the way the city has been designed with its numerous lanes, voids, and privatised transport systems, have encouraged Graffiti and Street Art to naturally boom in this Southern City. The artists from South Of The Border are either native to Melbourne city, or have relocated purely for the opportunities that are available there for artists. This exhibit is a celebration of the some of the leading artists of the Melbourne Lowbrow movement.”

Who: Rone , Wonder, Makatron, Sync, James Reka, Stabz, Dr Prizm, Mayo, Bailer, Shida, Itch, Otis Chamberlin, Nurock, Zode, Misery,
Guy Parker & Phibs .
What: South Of The Border Melbourne Showcase Group Show
Where: LoFi Collective – Floor 3, 383 Bourke St, Surry Hills, NSW
When: Show opens Thursday 30th June @ 6pm

Check out the Lo-Fi Collective website as well as the facebook event page for more info on the show!

After little bits of teasing rumour over the past month or so, the guys from the Melbourne street art crew Everfresh have released the news of their impending visit to the NGV.

This is going to be amazing – it will give everyone a crazily cool insight into the working practices of the Everfresh crew, as they temporarily relocate from their Collingwood studio to the NGV studio in the heart of Melbourne. Everfresh are at the top of their game, and if you’ve ever been curious as to how they do what they do (and you shamefully haven’t read their book yet!), well, now’s your chance to find out more.

“EVERFRESH STUDIO are moving into the NGV STUDIO next week.
Artist from Everfresh will be there for about a month, so feel free to drop in and say hi.  At the end of our residency we are going to have a bit of an event to show case works made during our time there.”

Who: Phibs, Rone, Reka, Meggs, Sync, Makatron, Wonderlust, Prizm, The Tooth & Special Guests!ironlak, ngv,
What: Everfresh at the NGV studio
Where: NGV STudio – Federation Square, Melbourne, VIC
When: Starting Monday 6th June and running until the 8th of July, when they will have a show of the work they’ve produced whilst in the studio.

Check out the Everfresh website for more details on this awesome event!

Tomorrow, the 18th February, will see the kickoff of this years Adelaide Street Art Festival, Street Dreams, as a part of the Adelaide Fringe Festival. This festival has a lot going on, from workshops and exhibitions, to T-shirt parties, to the amazing Dumpster Biennale, and everything in between – and it looks set to be a showcase of all of that is awesome about the Adelaide, and indeed Australian, urban and street art scene.

“Building on the success of the 2010 festival, Street Dreams is back to celebrate everything Street Art during the 2011 Adelaide Fringe. Running over four days the festival features exhibitions, murals, street art tours, workshops, an open air cinema and the infamous T-shirt party.

Street Dreams is run on a volunteer basis with the aim of building a platform to showcase and celebrate street art in Adelaide. We hope to build a greater appreciation for street art culture within the wider Adelaide community and strengthen connections between Adelaide based and interstate street artists.”

The very busy team organising the event also had a bit of time for us to answer a few questions about the festival, just to give you an idea of whats going on, and how it has all been put together … so we’ve put it all together into a really really rough guide with links throughout (we’ve also listed all of them down the bottom), so you can click through and check out all that the festival has to offer.

So read on, and if you’re in Adelaide, get along to the events – and, if you’re not, head here and fix up …

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As Adelaide heads into Fringe and Street Dreams festival time, its great to see all the shows popping  up – this one is presented by the Cold Krush Store & Gallery, and its a great line up.

“Cold Krush Store/Gallery presents the “GRAPHEME” exhibition for the Adelaide Fringe Festival 2011.

Get ready for an explosive exhibition, which will bring you street hieroglyphics by an array of seasoned and emerging graffiti artists and also featuring interstate guests. Each artist is assigned a different letter of the alphabet to create, adapt and contort as they see fit.”

Who: Ages, Akems, Albino, Ankles, CWR, Epik, Fredrock, Hams, Ishk, James Dodd, J2SKE, Kab101, NME, Opted, Orbs, Perish, Poise, pore, Reach, Riet, SEARious Jones, Seb, Sync, Tarns, Thorts and Tomb
What: Grapheme group exhibition
Where: Cold Krush Store & Gallery, 109 Unley Road, Unley, South Australia
When: Opens Friday 25th February 2011 from 6pm to 9pm, and runs til 14th March.

Check out the Cold Krush website for more details.

So its finally come around, and we got news this morning of the official info for the Everfresh Blackbook release parties. These will be held in both Melbourne and Sydney, and there will also be a release party in Tokyo!

I’ve been looking forward to the book since I first heard about it, and I’m a big fan of the Everfresh crew. From the proofs and photos of it I’ve seen floating all around the web it looks like it’ll be a beautifully designed, informative and visually stunning volume – and, thankfully, the beer gods have smiled on me, as celebrations are kicking on til later in the evening so I can make it down after my own show. Total bonus, and I cant wait.

So, get down there on the 3rd of September, buy a book (or pre-order a special edition hardcover – I did), check out some cool installation stuff and some rad photos by Josh Robenston, listen to some wicked DJs, chat with likeminded peeps, drink some beer – and generally enjoy a great night celebrating all that is good and cool about Australias street art culture, and all the hard work the EF guys have put into contributing to it.

Who: Sync, Rone, Reka, Wonderlust, Phibs, Meggs, Prizm, Makatron, The Tooth
What: Book Launch – Everfresh Blackbook – The Studio & Streets: 2004 – 2010
Where & When:

MELBOURNE: Friday 03 September, 2010. 6-11pm
1000 £ Bend, 361 Lt Lonsdale Street, Melbourne.
WWW.EVERFRESHSTUDIO.COM

SYDNEY: Friday 10 September, 2010. 6-9pm
aMBUSH Gallery, 4A James Street, Waterloo.
WWW.AMBUSHGALLERY.COM

TOKYO: Friday 24 September, 6-9pm
PLMLIS Gallery
WWW.PLSMIS.COM
5 minutes walk from Omotesando, exit A4
(see website for map

We’ve all heard rumours of its impending drop, but this weekend saw confirmation that the Everfresh Black Book is well and truly on its way.

Whats sure to have been a labour of love for the guys at the studio, the Black Book “provides a rare and exclusive insight into the life of the studio, the artists behind the work and the culture of the elusive underground art world—a world usually cloaked in anonymity.”

So many great books coming out this year, and this is sure to be another one for everyone to grab.

Check out more information on the book itself on the Everfresh Website, as well as information on how to pre-order the limited edition hardcover when its available.

There would be no stretch of the imagination involved if one was to suggest that Melbourne artist Makatron has been making waves in the past year with his exhibitions, murals and street art. As part of the Everfresh crew, who have a large array of colossal murals and more subtle pieces spread across both Burn City and the world, it can also be said that he, along with the rest of the crew, are at the top of their game.

As an individual artist, however, his work conveys a thoughtful, and at times chaotic, interpretation of personal interaction with both the environment and the people contained within it. His extensive travels, coupled with his unique personal experiences and his love of the grittier underside of urban art have all combined to present a unique, emboldened style that has garnered him a solid body of fans.

Invurt recently had opportunity to conduct an in-depth, thought provoking, and generally kick-ass interview with Makatron, wherein he explains his work and ethos, and where racing a courier bike through the streets of Sao Paulo fits in to it all …

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For those in Melbourne and Sydney, coming up real soon is the LTRHDS Exhibition, a celebration of the alphabet by some of the worlds top street artists.

THE EXHIBITION OF THE ENGLISH ALPHABET

“Letterheads 2010 brings together twenty-six contemporary artists to each re-envisioned a single letter of the English alphabet, creating a collection that explores the influence of the ubiquitous letterform in all aspects of contemporary art. The lineup of high profile and emerging artist, represent the fields of illustration, cartooning, fine art, graffiti, street art and graphic design from around the globe.”

MELBOURNE EXHIBITION

from 26th February until 26th March at 1000 £ Bend, 361 Little Lonsdale St Melbourne.

OPENING RECEPTION

26th February, 6pm until 10pm

SYDNEY EXHIBITION

from 16th April until 17th May at Red Bull Gallery, Huntly St and Burke Rd Alexandria.

OPENING RECEPTION

16th April, 6pm until 10pm

Included as luminaries of this list are the following artists: 26 ARTISTS, 26 LETTERS - Graeme Base (AUS) Mark Bode (USA) SheOne (UK) Shun Kawakami (JAP) Craig (KR) Costello (USA) Meggs (AUS) Ghost Patrol (AUS) James Reka (AUS) Greg (SP.ONE) Lamarche (USA) Mr Jago (UK) Kami (JAP) Luca Ionescu (AUS) Anthony Lister (USA) Kid Zoom (AUS) Sasu (JAP) Sync (AUS) James (Jagi) Greenaway (AUS) Scott (Bonsai) Neo (AUS) Usugrow & Bene (JAP) TwoOne (AUS) Kano One7two (AUS) Shohei Takasaki (JAP) Phibs (AUS) French (UK) Yusk (BRZ) Puzle (AUS)

Looks to be a pretty awesome exhibition from some mighty talented artists, and there are also a swath of fantastic interviews with the artists over at the LTRHDS blog.

Via the LTRHDS Website