Street vandalism finds a home!

Walls Deepprovides local graffiti artists with a safe outlet

Teghan Beaudette

The Label Art Gallery is currently hosting a street-art show showcasing over 200 pieces created by 25 local artists. Launching on Jan. 10, Walls Deepattracted a bulky crowd and didn’t disappoint. Beer, live music, and a room full of extremely creative people weren’t the only draws. The show offers a massive selection of street art and graffiti in a cozy venue. The socially significant show presents a diverse opportunity for the public to experience local art. It also provides recognition and a receptive audience for an art form that has been vilified by the public and, until very recently, dismissed as vandalism. The work must be done in secret, usually in the dark and as quickly as possible. Derek “DJ” Joyce explains that the large piece took him about six minutes to complete on the Legal Wall in Brandon. “Too long,” he says. If you were to attempt the same piece on the street, it would have to be done in under two — not only to avoid being arrested, but because bystanders will frequently try to stop artists from completing.

Amuck (or Amok), one of the co-creators and artists featured in the event, has been contributing to the counterculture art for 11 years and helped transform the idea of a street art show into the intense collection now available for viewing. “I thought it was time,” he says. The call for an acceptable venue has been a long time coming. The Graffiti Gallery in Winnipeg is considered by some as elitist and exclusionary, only accepting the art of a “chosen few.” Walls Deephopes to address this issue and showcase a wide variety of artists. The Label Art Gallery was the perfect home for the unique show. For six years the location has attempted to give local artists a venue for their art to be appreciated and viewed by the public. In contrast to the WAG, there are no admission charges and everything showcased in the gallery is created by local artists.

The show has an incredible selection of diverse pieces. Acrylics, spray paint (the dominant medium at the show), water colour, sculpture, stickers, and other unclassifiable pieces are available for viewing. The show has a distinctly Manitoban feel; the prairies are a reoccurring theme in several pieces and freight trains feature prominently. Ryan Burgess, a 22-year-old street artist, described the relevance of freights: graffiti artists often “bomb” freights, as they provide easy targets that aren’t always closely monitored during daylight hours. Burgess also explains, “My art goes across North America. It’s open to the public; it’s free.”

The show is unquestionably worth checking out. You don’t need to know anything about the art to appreciate it and it doesn’t cost you anything to attend. Your support is greatly appreciated for a group of artists that are extremely modest about their work and rarely receive positive attention.

If you can’t make it out to the gallery and are jonesing for some street art, there are several other alternatives. Flickr.com communities, like Winnipeg Graffiti, showcase local street artists, and you can even find some of Burgess’ work there

(www.flickr.com/groups/winnipeggraffiti). Alternatively, the Graffiti Gallery is open year-round at 109 Higgins Ave.. If neither of these options interests you, Amok offers an alternative: check out local graffiti outside. The urban landscape is full of opportunities for viewing — it can be found in back alleys, under bridges, and, of course, on freights.