01 November, 2009

asylum seekers - Melbourne




The art in Hosier Lane, Melbourne is constantly changing. This is one of the last photos I took in my recent visit to Melbourne. The work was freshly installed. The name of the artist is not known, but I suspect from the size of the hands that it is a female.

Sticky tape sculpture is not new in street art, but what I liked about this piece was its timeliness with respect to the asylum seeker debate currently ongoing in the media. Street art is inherently political.

For me, a measure of success of street art is that it must work in relation to its installed position. If you move it and it loses its context, then its good street art. This piece fulfills that criteria. The reading of the art lies in its relation to the iron bars from behind which the fragile and nameless hands entreat.

Well done.

Blakkbyrd

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