Crossing the Line

5 Nov-23 Dec 2021

Overview

Curated by Joshua Read and Professor Paul Gough.

Where does street art now belong: in the back alleys of our urban centres or on the white walls of the gallery? Can it belong in both? What happens when the urban calligraphy of tags and stencils is subsumed by the auction house, and why do we feel a sense of loss when the raw energy of street art, of urban writing, is absorbed by the mainstream media, and effectively tamed. Why is that some of our best illicit art is promptly ripped off the wall, taken out of its context and seized into private hands.

With panache and provocation, this exhibition brings the street indoors and addresses these questions, and maybe more.