Works by world renowned urban artist Banksy will be featured in the upcoming Oi You! Adelaide Urban Art Festival that will be held at the Adelaide Festival Centre’s Artspace Gallery and plaza from 20 April until 2 June.
Minister assisting the Minister for Arts, Chloë Fox said the State Government is pleased to be working in partnership with the Adelaide City Council and Adelaide Festival Centre to bring this unique experience to Adelaide.
“This is a rare opportunity for an Australian audience to see works by Banksy, a mysterious and global urban phenomenon,” Ms Fox said.
“Banksy is a pioneer of the urban art movement. For decades his identity has been shrouded in mystery and now we are privileged to witness the proof of his brilliance,” she said.
In addition to 22 of Banksy’s pieces there will be works from some of the world’s leading urban art megastars and a full calendar of free special events.
Lord Mayor Stephen Yarwood said that bringing the Oi You! Festival to Adelaide was a real coup for the city.
“Urban art is art for the people, taking it out of the galleries and into public spaces where everyone can enjoy it,” he said.
“Banksy is the movement’s most talked about artist and it is a real thrill to be bringing a major collection of his work to Adelaide.”
The elusively anonymous UK artist, whose last major show saw over 300,000 people queue for around two and a half hours to get in, is known worldwide for his iconic and satirical stencil art in public locations.
Other urban artists whose work is being exhibited include Faile (USA), Swoon (USA), Antony Micallef (UK), David Choe (USA), Paul Insect (UK) and the Milton Springsteen (NZ).
The curator of the festival George Shaw said, “Over the past ten years, urban art has exploded into the global consciousness and is now the cultural backdrop to everything from worldwide corporate advertising to video game scenery, and is evident in almost every aspect of society.
“From stencils and paste-ups to yarn-bombing and public installation art, urban art is a constantly developing field that is only limited by the imagination of the artists,” he said.
The Artspace Gallery will feature a special, purpose-built annex that will house the ‘Scrawl Wall’ – a place for budding local street artists to show off their talents.
In addition, there will be a number of special events over four weekends. The opening night party on Friday 19 April will give fans a sneak peek at the exhibition before it opens to the general public. It will feature talks from some of the artists as well as a DJ set from local electronic artist, Oisima.
The Great $5000 Art Giveaway will take place on 27 and 28 April from 10am until 4pm. There will be 38 works of art and 38 corresponding tokens. Over the two days, the tokens will be hidden across the Adelaide Festival Centre Plaza – find a token and walk away with a free piece of art!
Big Walls Adelaide Tours will take punters to the best sites of urban art around the city, led by the street artists themselves. These free tours will leave from the Festival Centre Plaza at 6pm on 3 May, and 11.30am and 4pm on 4 May.
A Street Art Film Night will be held in the Space Theatre Foyer on 10 May, and will feature screenings of locally produced documentary Who Owns The Street, as well as the Academy Award-nominated Banksy film Exit Through The Gift Shop. The bar opens at 5pm and the screening kicks off at 5.45pm.
This event is supported by Longview and Fresh FM.
| What: | Oi! You Adelaide Urban Art Festival |
| When: | 20 April – 2 June 2013 (opening night 19 April) |
| Venue: | Artspace Gallery, Festival Centre |
| Hours: | Wed, Fri, Sat, Sun 12pm – 4pm, Thurs 12pm – 8pm |
| Access: | Via Festival Drive or Dunstan Playhouse Foyer, disability access via Festival Bridge from North Tce, or Ampitheatre Ramp. |
| Cost: | Optional donation |
Please visit cityofadelaide.com.au to find out more and check adelaidefestivalcentre.com.au for opening hours.
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