Watch This Space, in partnership with Art Walls Christchurch and The Welder is excited to present Roll Call – A Survey of Ōtautahi Urban Art and Artists – a huge group show featuring more than 60 local creatives and bringing the energy of the streets to the walls of The Welder!
It may have been a cold August night, but the opening of Roll Call drew a bumper crowd – with a sense of excitement to see such the collected work by local urban artists – a chance to bring together the creative community and introduce audiences to talents both new and familiar. Expanding the expectations of urban creativity, there was a palpable energy on opening night – that such occasions are to few and far between for a city with a strong creative current.
Ōtautahi’as reputation as a street art destination is built upon the striking murals and engaging events and activations across the city’s streets. Roll Call presents an opportunity to mine deeper into the diverse urban art scene and platform new directions, possibilities and people – a reminder of urban art’s open definitions and evolution. The artists featured in Roll Call span traditional graffiti writers, street artists mural artists, urban interventionists, tattoo artists, designers, illustrators, makers, digital creatives and those who defy simple categorisation and have emerged as truly multi-faceted creatives. This is indicative of the enduring impact of urban art upon generations of creatives, the influence of graffiti and street art stretches through generations, positioned now as both a tradition to uphold and a history to re-imagine. The creative industries, whether commercial design, the world of fine art or the distinctive world of tattooing, have been undeniably effected by the way art in the streets has shaped our cities and perceptions of art and its role in our world. Roll Call’s scope is broad but necessary, because this reality is perhaps even stronger in a city like Ōtautahi, where urban art’s presence has become deeply embedded and acknowledged.
When building the roster of artists for Roll Call, a range of connections to the urban landscape were suggested; artists may make their art in the urban environment (graffiti, murals, street art, interventions), they may make their art of the urban environment (found objects, urban ephemera), or they may make art that responds to the urban environment, either explicitly or subtly, reflecting an approach that is outside tradition or convention, seeking reinvention and direct communication with audiences. As a result, the names included in Roll Call will range from the highly familiar to the completely new, from established to emerging. But even within the familiar presence, there are surprises. An important quality of urban art is the ability to embrace the unexpected – here, the urban encounter is re-contextualised, but is still engaging. The range of material approaches and themes is evident, many artists have pushed the boundaries, incorporating detritus, mixed media and re-purposed objects for their work, from a collection of cigarette butts, to discarded signs, thrift-store paintings and empty spray cans. There are chaotic, mysterious works, some that revel in their low-brow or low-fidelity nature, embracing imperfection in the form of dispelled aerosol and scratched surfaces as a reflection of an urgent energy. Others are painstakingly rendered, detailed and layered. The defined threads of Roll Call are many, and at times, it is, in fact, difference that brings pieces together rather than any shared visual qualities. Street art and graffiti are easily considered as monolithic, or at least, easily defined, but the truth about urban art is far from that perception – the beauty of urban art is its adaptability and evolution, Roll Call celebrates that potential.
In addition to the stylistic and material diversity, the juxtaposed profiles of the artists themselves is intriguing. A large number of artists are showing for the first-time or are early in their creative careers, while others are well-established and have been working and exhibiting for decades. Artists range from entirely self-taught, to art-school trained, many reared by the culture of graffiti, others coming from more insular or individual backgrounds. This is an approach that offers the opportunity for intriguing juxtapositions, but also a sense of urban art’s accessibility and inclusive potential. The validity of voices found in our urban environments is not shaped by institutional gate-keeping, but instead by a willingness and eagerness to be part of a wider discussion. By ensuring Roll Call exhibits this inclusive quality, the show becomes a more emblematic of the urban environment from which the show and the artists draw their inspiration.
Roll Call is intended to surprise and challenge perceptions of urban art and urban artists in Ōtautahi. It is fair to say the art in Roll Call is not for everyone, but it could be that there is art for everyone in Roll Call.
Roll Call – A Survey of Ōtautahi Urban Art and Artists – 10am -3pm daily (check Watch This Space socials for opening hour updates), August 1-9, The Welder Events Space, 22 Welles Street
Photo Credits: Centuri Chan (@centuri_creative)
