Acid Midget

Ironic Nike park bench stencil makes me feel emptier

2012-01-31T20:30:00.000+11:00

I'm still trying to work out where this piece of 'street art' came from. I can't tell if someone cared about art and humour enough to dismantle a park bench and stencil the Nike logo on it.

I just have this feeling...you know...that it's marketing...

But I wanted to share it with you anyway. Let's enjoy the humour. But this isn't the first time I've thought about how advertising and street art are closely linked. Visit the posts below to see why.

Via Only the Cool Stuff

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Sydney Hipster Poster Advertisement

Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer Mural

Graffiti under a bridge, St Peters

2012-01-30T20:35:00.000+11:00

I turned the motor off and got my phone out. I was late running late, so late that she'd probably leave the bar with someone else.

Having a car for the first time in for-ages, I thought there wouldn't be much graffiti under the bridge at Edgeware Road, St Peters. I got out anyway.

I was wrong, sort of. I saw this Birdhat, a little faded, but still good. I'd say it's in its eighth trimester.

This was the biggest ILL cat I've seen. Too big to hold. I wonder if someone will come up with the idea of taking photos of a bunch of ILL's stencils and publishing them in a children's book? Maybe with a little funding from Marrickville Council?

Oh wait, someone has done that.

Mosaic stencil.

So at this point I got a text which read "hey bb, u no we hav a gud fing goin on yah? But I found anutha. He's strong n ridez a byke. Ltrz bb xoxo". And like that, everything went quiet.

So I got more Birdhat. Ninth trimester.

Kois. I've seen a bunch of this guy's pieces around Sydney's inner west. Welcome to Acid Midget Kois.

After this I drove home alone. And all I have to show for it is some photos of birds, cats and bears. Was it worth it?

Happy Australia Day!

2012-01-26T14:47:00.003+11:00

I found this poster while looking for a pub in Chippendale last night. I walked in the rain, alone, because I have trouble maintaining meaningful friendships.

When I saw this poster, all I could think about was the wasted idea of the "Australian Dream". I thought that owning a big house and living the good life was impossible for young urbanites. Sydney cost of living = your soul.

Sydney is a good city. Australians are ~~good~~ ~~harmless~~ lukewarm people. But on Australia Day, when a lot of beer and animal muscle is consumed, the very premise of a 'dream' to aspire to is almost hopeless.

I'm going to drink a lot of alcohol now. Brb.

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Anthony Lister: Bogan Paradise

Fukt hits McDonald's with fat stencil, burgers consumed

2012-01-19T17:02:00.000+11:00

Sydney artist Fukt stencilled the exit of a McDonald's drive-thru at Stanmore, in Sydney's inner west.

In a word-play on "please dispose of your litter thoughtfully", this stencil asks customers to dispose of their fat thoughtfully.

This is because people who buy McDonald's eat 30 to 50 per cent more fat than they need from burgers containing animal parts that aren't even named yet.

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FUKT: Sydney laneway art

Interview: Clive

2012-01-17T16:00:00.000+11:00

Street artist Clive can not access this website from his home in Shanghai. He relocated to China from the US almost five years ago and uses a VPN (virtual private network) to access blocked websites like Acid Midget.

With VPNs, Clive has maintained contact with the creative community from which he would otherwise be severed. I blogged some of his wheatpastes in August and last month he held an exhibition of canvas works in Shanghai.

Popular Western artists get plenty of web publicity. I asked Clive what it's like being an expat and how he creates art away from his former home. The frames below are from his latest triple triptych that combine to make one artwork.

So Clive, you're based in Shanghai? How long have you been there?

I've been in Shanghai for four years, starting year five in February.

Where are you from originally?

I am from the Ohio River Valley, in West (by God) Virginia.

What sort of artwork do you make?

Recently, I have been sticking with painting and mixed media, but almost everything starts its life as a collage of some sort. In the past, I made sculptures, but due to space limitations haven't been doing any really in China. As far as the streets are concerned I do primarily wheatpasting.

What appeals to you about working on the streets of Shanghai?

Shanghai is a city with a lot of hustle going on all the time, probably more than any Western city I've visited or lived in. Other than this, the stark contrast of wealth and poverty. For instance, you can be in an area with multimillion dollar villas and down the street will be tenement housing. These contrasts extend in many other areas of life as well. Imagine the consumer society on LSD and meth, this is Shanghai's modus operandi, while at the same time trying to remain homogenized. Aside from this, there is surprisingly little work being put up outside of the two free walls in the city. This lack of work is what made me want to put some of my work up outside of a gallery. I had pretty much stopped putting work up on the street a year or two before coming to China. So, I guess you could say Shanghai re-inspired me to get up.

Did you do any street work before settling over there?

Yeah of course, when I was younger I used to throw up some bombs, stencils, stickers and some wheatpasting; I'm sure if you looked in the right spots in places I lived you'd still find them.

I understand you're quite passionate about Duchamp. What is it about him you identify with?

Duchamp is pretty much the big enchilada. He redefined the whole game. The subversive nature of his work is what I admire most, and the destruction of boundaries and reference points is unparallelled by anyone so far. Though causing as much of a ruckus as he did is nearly impossible these days. In my own work I try to blur, skew, or eliminate reference points, but I don't think I am anywhere as successful as Duchamp was in this area.

Do you think Duchamp would be a street artist if he was around today?

If Duchamp was around today I believe he would have some involvement in it, however, he would likely be light years ahead of what we are seeing now. He existed on his own level during his lifetime, and I think he would be on his own level if you put him in any part of time, and I feel that he is far too dynamic to be pigeonholed into one category or movement, just as the case during his lifetime, I think would be the case if he was around today.

Tell me about your recent exhibition. Is there another one in the works?

Yeah I recently had a little event. It had some live music provided by myself and a bunch of pedals and some guys playing electric cellos. It was kind of an excuse for me to switch out all my old work with new pieces and let Plastic Urban Female (the cello guys) have their first performance. There was a pretty good turn out and we managed to pull together some money for a local charity, so it was a pretty win-win situation. I am definitely going to try to have another event here in Shanghai and a friend of mine is going to curate an exhibition in Huntington that I'll be a part of. The event in Huntington is a retrospective of stuff that came out of that city in past years, so they will have to hunt down some work that I managed to part with while I was still living there. It will be in March at the Blank Gallery.

What are your plans for 2012?

Well my 2012 plans are to avoid Niburu or any other celestial disaster, the events I mentioned before, and hopefully some events I haven't planned yet. Aside from this, I will be going around Southeast Asia at the beginning of the year, and after that definitely trying to put out some more quality work.

Marz: Pikachu Army stencils

2012-01-13T15:03:00.003+11:00

Street artist Marz sent over these photos of a "Pikachu Army" he made near North Sydney.

He said it lasted four days before North Sydney Council buffed it.

Would you call that a good run?

ALSO BY MARZ:

Astro Boy stencil

Roundabout says "Play Dead"

Abbey Road with Snoopy

2012-01-12T15:54:00.001+11:00

WTF is this weird Abbey Road spoof? Aren't the Beatles meant to be walking over the crossing and into a studio to jam, or something?

Aaah - it's the Peanuts cast! This artist has used anamorphic perspective to trick me into thinking I was retasrded! No way!

(Source: Wooster Collective)

BREAKING: Slug Gets a Tattoo

2012-01-09T14:00:00.000+11:00

Sydney graffiti artist Slug sent me this photo of someone with a tattoo of his famous psychedelic dog/shark/elf.

Acid Midget has requested comment confirming the owner of this foot.

I speculate that tattoos could be bought as part of a bundle with Slug's new fanzine Sugar Shark.

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Slug Graffiti

More from the Outpost Project

2012-01-06T17:25:00.000+11:00

This is an Anthony Lister sculpture of a partially naked Batman roped up to an H-beam. There is no subliminal message here - it is a direct juxtaposition of Batman's heroic iconography with that of a helpless little bitch.

I met Ben Frost yesterday. I saw him, I said hi. We smoked menthol cigarettes in the rain. We talked about street art and San Francisco and his Pastemodernism project (pictured).

Frost was hanging with Vexta. She's a cool lady. We spoke about New York and her beautiful mural on Cockatoo Island (pictured). If only these moments would last a longer.

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Outpost Project is Over :(

Street Art Videos: Meggs, Beastman

2012-01-05T17:16:00.003+11:00

Meggs for Endeavor from Endeavor Snowboard Design on Vimeo.

Hey dudes. Here are a couple of videos to help you detox off photoblogs. The first features Melbourne artist Meggs talking about how tough the creative life is.

Beastman x VNA from Make Some Tea on Vimeo.

This second video is a Very Nearly Almost interview with Beastman as he discusses the creative process and his inspirations.

LOL: Hacked train station display

2012-01-04T16:40:00.001+11:00

Someone apparently hacked into a train station display to create a special Christmas message.

The display is similar to the iPhone assistant Siri. You punch a sentence into the machine and it talks like a robot to commuters, telling them with monotonal detachment that the next train is late.

This message has lots of fa la la la las. A bit fresh.

Thanks to South/South for contacting me about this video (which they recorded). It's gone a bit viral in only one week.

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Train Graffiti

Street Art of 2011

2011-12-30T00:36:00.000+11:00

It's that time of year where we look back on what's behind us and decide what sucked and what was bloggable.

Aside from posting a bunch of street art this year, I interviewed Beastman and Philjames. I also spent a month in Europe seeing incredible art and posting it on Facebook.

I think 2011 was the year street art began to plateau; I'm looking forward to seeing if that's the case in 2012.

(Found in Athens)

The European Debt Crisis has been a staple news item for the past few months. And the sentiment this massive mural conveyed - "we're f-cked" - was quite effective.

(Via Unurth)

Banksy made this stencil after British graffiti writer Tox was sent to prison for more than two years for tagging. The sentence generated a strong reaction from the graffiti community.

And in case you forgot, Invader was also arrested in LA for vandalism in April. Comes with the territory.

(Made by Fukt)

This Iwo Jima parody is my favourite Sydney stencil of the year. Not only is it eye catching; it's poignant, ironic and hilarious.

(Submitted by Bag)

This was the year of Slug. The prolific artist left this spastic dog on so many Sydney walls that he is now one of only a few artists working illegally on a regular basis.

He is also selling a zine called Sugar Shark.

The infamous (and highly irritating) hipster posters that popped up this year are still plaguing the streets. I tried to contact the number on one of the posters. There was no response.

However, the response to my post was good. Thanks to everyone who wrote in.

Monsieur Andre also guest blogged on Acid Midget in 2011. He wrote about being in love with girlfriend Annabelle Dexter-Jones, having a rad time tagging...and feuking a lot.

Andre also brought quite a bit of traffic to the blog this year. Don't ask me why.

By far the biggest street art event in Australia this year was the Outpost Project. It only finished a couple of weeks ago, but fortunately some of the works will be kept there this summer.

Tens of thousands of people visited Cockatoo Island to see a showcase of the most important urban and lowbrow artists in the world.

In my opinion, it was a watershed event.

Another turning point in street art's transition from underground to mainstream was the release of Banksy's mockumentary Exit Through The Gift Shop.

He was nominated for an Oscar and then banned from attending the ceremony. He didn't win. But the film was successful at least.

I also wrote the Acid Midget Manifesto in June. It began as a Facebook status, then grew and grew. This blog was never intended to be anything more than an exploration of Sydney and its streets - tinged with conceptual ruminations - but it has become more than expected.

Have a happy New Year - see you in 2012!

Outpost Project is over :(

2011-12-20T11:00:00.000+11:00

I'm a little sad that the Outpost Project is finished already. I was hoping it would last foreverandever.

But all things end. What were the highlights for you? I liked Pastemodernism. I liked the outdoor DJ.

Most of all, I liked being part of a community where my skin colour and taxable income were lesser factors in who befriended me on Facebook while the festival was on.

And the good news is, some of the exhibits will remain on Cockatoo Island during the summer.

We can go back for more.

Kim Jong-il is dead

2011-12-19T17:02:00.001+11:00

Kim Jong-il, the supreme leader of North Korea, has died of a heart attack aged 69.

Reports are circulating around the globe about the icon, who was immortalised in the film Team America ("f-ck yeaaah"), after the North Korean government announced the news today.

Kim Jong-il was best known for wearing a grey collared unitard and for being "so ronery" all the time.

He was also known for looking at things.

Earlier today, the top trending topics on Twitter were Kim Jong, fowwowed by Team America.

(Image source)

Shepard Fairey Time Magazine cover

2011-12-16T11:24:00.000+11:00

Shepard Fairey created the TIME magazine Person of the Year cover for 2011.

The magazine chose 'The Protester' because people have made such a fuss about distribution of wealth and corruption across the globe.

After choosing Barack Obama and Mark Zuckerberg in recent years, maybe the editors at TIME magazine were scared of a possible #OccupyTimeMagazine protest at their offices.

Hibernian House graffiti

2011-12-15T17:54:00.001+11:00

Hibernian House is a big old derelict building in the middle of Sydney. Artists, musicians, poets and designers live there. There's no proper front door. The lift is broken. It's filthy.

Almost every inch of the interior is covered in graffiti. There's a large Anthony Lister mural on the roof. There are puddles of water inside. A screaming silence echoes through every room as you climb the floors. The graff is disorientating; you struggle to remember the way back out.

And you're never sure if someone is watching.

The air is musty. There are messages scrawled everywhere. It feels unstable, unsafe. Should it be demolished to make way for a shiny new development? $1 million apartments?

I saw a poetry reading there this year. I sat on the worn, warm floorboards. There were hipsters. You can't replicate the feeling of electric words fizzing in the air. You can't replicate. This. Place.

You wouldn't demolish it because there aren't enough of these places. Artists need space to work in. They need immersion in a creative community. I need you and you need me.

I feel a little better now. When I share this with you, I feel better. Hope I see you again. I.

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Urban adventure in abandoned building

Julian Assange stencil

2011-12-14T16:59:00.000+11:00

Julian Assange is my hero. Not just because he has white hair, which is totally rad, but because he's been to Sweden.

This stencil is by Blue Chip and was found in Chippendale, Sydney. Thanks to Konsumterra for, once again, alerting me to Blue Chip's work.

Visit the Acid Midget Facebook page for more Instagram photos.

Banksy plane loveheart. Is it real?

2011-12-12T17:12:00.001+11:00

It must be Banksy month. That's a good thing. I've been reading Wall and Piece for the hell of it.

I bag on the poor guy a lot, but he is genuinely passionate about street art and ruffling feathers and Exiting Through Gift Shops and stuff.

This was one was found in Liverpool, England.

Via The Lonely Villein.

Banksy trolley stencil, London

2011-12-08T12:30:00.000+11:00

This unconfirmed Banksy stencil - now buffed from central London - will become authentic with enough circulation on the internet.

It will take on a life of its own and become something unto itself.

It will live on through hack blogs like Acid Midget, to the point that no one really cares whether #Banksy made it or not.

All that matters is the ability to generate trending topics on Twitter, headlines on Huffington Post and website traffic through farming highly bloggable content by the famous street artist @Banksy.

Photo credits: 1, 2.

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Banksy artwork destroyed in Bristol :(

Berlin Street Art

2011-12-02T21:41:00.000+11:00

(Karl-Liebknecht-Strasse, Berlin)

I took this shot on my European jaunt in August. Berlin is a spacious, patient city and this surprised me.

To see this enormous love heart at the centre of the city, where its political heartbeat lies, was unexpected.

To me, it was an affirmation of life. I don't know if this artwork is a permanent fixture, but it should be.

All you need is liebe.

European Debt Crisis in Graffiti

2011-12-01T12:30:00.000+11:00

Acid Midget

Ironic Nike park bench stencil makes me feel emptier

Graffiti under a bridge, St Peters

Happy Australia Day!

Fukt hits McDonald's with fat stencil, burgers consumed

Interview: Clive

Marz: Pikachu Army stencils

Abbey Road with Snoopy

BREAKING: Slug Gets a Tattoo

More from the Outpost Project

Street Art Videos: Meggs, Beastman

LOL: Hacked train station display

Street Art of 2011

Outpost Project is over :(

Kim Jong-il is dead

Shepard Fairey Time Magazine cover

Hibernian House graffiti

Julian Assange stencil

Banksy plane loveheart. Is it real?

Banksy trolley stencil, London

Berlin Street Art

European Debt Crisis in Graffiti

Free Calls to the Premier

Component Stencil in Melbourne

R2D2 Stencil, Melbourne

MELBOURNE: Shepard Fairey Obey Sticker

NETHERLANDS: Roa & Resto

Anthony Lister Bogan Paradise

Invader in Melbourne

Street sign sticker art

Fukt: Sydney laneway street art

BRISTOL: Banksy artwork destroyed

European debt crisis needs miracle

My First Art Exhibition Press Release

SAO PAULO: Space Invader

Sydney horse graffiti

Artist: Tristan des Limbes

SLOVENIA: Miha Artnak makes Layers

Roa mural in Berlin

Clive posters in Shanghai

Interview: Philjames

German street artists: Herakut

SHANGHAI: Subway poster art

NEWTOWN: Perspex etching

Murdoch phone hacking scandal

Graffiti artist Tox jailed for 27 months

Ears, Beastman and Numskull's studio

Your Ad Here: Shepard Fairey exhibition

May Lane street art pt. III

SHORT FICTION: 'The Dream' by Galileo

Darlinghurst street art, Sydney **UPDATED**

LONDON: Banksy Tox graffiti

Darlinghurst street art

Anthony Lister in Berlin

Phibs curates Lo-Fi exhibition

Exploding dog graffiti, Newtown

May Lane street art pt. II

WAV, Apple vs Microsoft logo bomb

The Acid Midget Manifesto

CHIPPENDALE: Killer Slug dog mural

SHORT FICTION: 'Wolves' by Galileo

SHORT FICTION: Slug graffiti dog

Neckface and Isaiah Secret film

Fukt: Iwo Jima McDonald's stencil

HOLLYWOOD: Desire Obtain Cherish billboard

Monsieur Andre does Annabelle mural

Artist: Roa

Slug graffiti on railway track

SYDNEY: Jumbo and Zap posters

Slug does dirty dog graffiti

SYDNEY: Hipster poster advertisements **UPDATED**

Sculptor Will Coles' new plaque

NETHERLANDS: Satirical Ronald McDonald poster

SYDNEY: May Lane street art

Space Invader arrested in LA

Banksy identity revealed: Tom Hanks

DJ Andre does Kitsune party

Brisbane lego street art: D7EL

Anthony Lister visits Shady Pines Saloon

Artist: Phil James

Darlinghurst street art, Sydney UPDATED

SYDNEY: Hipster poster advertisements UPDATED