It is hard to believe that three months have flown by since the 2025 Flare Ōtautahi Street Art Festival coloured our city’s walls with a flurry of activity and energy! A triumphant return for the mural festival, the 2025 iteration drew huge crowds, enthusiastic media coverage and, of course, a collection of impressive artworks that further cement Ōtautahi Christchurch as the urban art destination of Aotearoa. From colourful abstractions, striking portraits, and bold typography to sky-high surrealism, complex graffiti and poignant cultural narratives, Flare covered a range of bases stylistically and thematically. With more than 19 large-scale works and a series of activations, Flare 2025 was indicative of a city completely enamoured with turning our streets into canvasses and embracing possibility!
We thought that with the cold months now well and truly here, it would be an ideal time to bring some fire and warm some souls with a reminder of Flare’s goodness – so join us for a little stroll through memory lane with a visual recap of Flare Ōtautahi Street Art Festival 2025!
Dcypher’s Urban Abstract was a stop on a Watch This Space guided tour… As was Jessie Rawcliffe’s Ophelia, where the artist talked to the tour group.The tour also took in the massive work by Jacob Yikes, Aotearoa’s tallest mural.Haser’s Manawa Pou, Manawa Ora in progress.The master, Dr Berst in action….Drez’s St Asaph Street work is a stunning addition. Jen Heads’ window installation at The Drifter…Jessie Rawcliffe’s stuinning Ophelia, Colombo Street.YSEK’s studio Ghibli inspired work on Worcester Boulevard.YSEK’s work featured a collaboration with fellow FSA crew member Seven Eleven.Ling’s Elias, May and Kairau on the side of Child Sister.Fluro’s I Look To The Hills is an evocative landmark framed by the imposing Te Kaha.Haser, Fluro, Berst, Jessie Rawcliffe and Ling joined the 2025 Artist Panel.Everything kicked off with the FSA X DTR X BRS Production Wall on Colombo Street. Always insightful, Berst chatted with tour groups. Haser’s Manawa Pou, Manawa Ora completed.Nick Lowry completed two works for Flare, highlighting his prodigious output…Nick Lowry’s second wall, in progress…FOUL from the Flare Market Graffiti Wall…TWICE from the Flare Market Graffiti Wall…Miiekes, Klaudia Bartos, Hambone, Tom Kerr and Ekos on the Flare Market Tattoo Wall…Jessie Rawcliffe and Devos on the Flare Market Wall…Ling and Berst at the Flare Market Wall.Trystan Cutts and Kyla K and Xact’s collab at the Flare Market Wall.Pest5 for the TMD Crew Jam, Sydenham.
Photo credits: Centuri Chan, Reuben Woods
For specific locations – remember to check out our ever-growing map!
The legendary FILTH Crew are the latest artists to transform the ‘permanent’ Giant Cans on St Asaph Street! In late May, Morks, Lurq and Tepid added some fresh funk with their collaborative production that references so many of the things that have shaped this long-running, one-of-a-kind creative collective. While the cylindrical cans present a unique proposition and challenge, the FILTH Crew have long made use of unusual surfaces and environments – from city walls, to trains, to the surroundings of Te Wai Pounamu’s rivers and plains. In their work for the Giant Cans, these influences are made clear, as we found out from Morks:
“Our concept for the cans was to match all three cans. We wanted to represent the South Island, using the Southern Alps and Canterbury Plains. We chose the colour blue for the ‘FILTHS’ signature font up at the top of the cans, to represent the Southern Alps, which appear inside the letters. Our pieces’ colour schemes were based on and influenced by pounamu, being endemic to the South Island. We brought in elements of the West Coast, Fiordland, Western Southland and the Nelson Districts as well. We added the harakeke overlapping the pieces to bring all the elements of South onto the cans.” The effect is lively, meaningful and evocative of the surrounding environment just beyond the city’s doorstep. The production feels proudly familiar.
While the circular form was challenging, the cans also presented an opportunity to think around how to encourage the viewer to look at the overall picture. Morks continues: “We started from the top and worked our way towards the bottom. The round surface was challenging. We wanted our pieces to wrap around the whole can to create a flow. When you stand on a certain angle, the Southern Alps align like they would in real life.”
The work brings together so many elements that have influenced the FILTHS Crew over their long history – identifying their unique status as a collective that looks a little bit differently at the world around them. “For 25 years we have been consistently active on the rail system, from wagons, trackside, bridges, stations. You see our names. Staying consistent gives us the ability to replicate our process of getting up with the same level and quality over and over again, consistency is what transforms average into excellence.” That consistency has ensured that the FILTHS’ legacy is widely respected.
Marking their lengthy existence, the crew has exciting plans for their quarter century milestone: “The FILTHS’ 25 Years as a Crew Exhibition will give an insight into the history of South Island graffiti. The show will present like a timeline, or history lesson. There will be a lot of art on display, from early sketches, photos, drawings, limited edition t-shirts, model trains, and a feature wall of original 6×4 photos of 500 Spacerunner photos that have never been seen.” This approach will ensure the exhibition is a must-see – stay tuned for more information!
In the meantime, check out the FILTHS’ contribution to the Giant Cans on St Asaph and get inspired!
When the opportunity to refresh his mural on the corner of Welles Street and Colombo Street arose in late 2024, Dcypher had a few ideas in mind. The original mural, commissioned by the New Zealand Transport Agency, had become somewhat rundown, it’s large sections of flat colour filled with a variety of uninvited additions. The chance to repaint the wall, without having to respond to a cycle safety brief, allowed the artist to explore themes and styles closer to his heart.
Developing two concepts, discussions began around which would be signed off. The first, in Dcypher’s signature graphic style, depicted a busy urban scene, filled with characters (realistic and cartoonish) and shenanigans, from cops and gangsters to urban artists, angular architecture providing the setting. When asked if the narrative could depict the evolution of a graffiti artist into a legal mural artist, the second concept came into clearer focus. Urban Abstract, a technically impressive, dynamic graffiti piece declaring the artist’s name in blue, grey and orange, creating intricate spatial illusions (inspired by wartime Razzle Dazzle ship painting), didn’t need a traditional pictorial narrative – it was a literal suggestion of graffiti art’s potential as recognised public art.
By painting such a work, highlighting the development and unique qualities of graffiti as an art form with a distinct history spanning generations, the concept could be viewed as aspirational. Rather than directing graffiti artists to have to alter their stylistic (and often technical) approach to accommodate figurative or naturalistic realism (popular trends in contemporary muralism), Dcypher’s concept put the spotlight firmly on graffiti as an art form, showing how graffiti artists can take their work to new levels without leaving behind the ideas and interests that have reared them. The result of this implied transition can see talented artists rejected or indeed, reject the opportunity to emerge – not seeing a place for themselves amongst the world of commissioned works of native flowers, birds and other recurring motifs.
Graffiti art has evolved and entrenched itself for decades across the globe, with a range of aesthetic, conceptual and sub-cultural traits defining its nature, even if it remains divisive (both inside and outside the culture). And yet, while contemporary muralism has exploded as a form of public art, graffiti art, such a vital influence for many artists, still often has to wrestle for a seat at the table of festivals and prominent commissions. of course, much of this has to do with the legality (or lack) of traditional graffiti and the fact that it is an internalised visual language, one that requires deeper understanding and consideration. However, it cannot be denied that graffiti is a defining visual language of the last 50 years. Dcypher’s work, from concept to execution, presents graffiti art on its own terms, engaging those initiated and inviting the uninitiated to reconsider their perceptions of the art form. It is graffiti as public art, highlighting the ability to disrupt and assimilate with the surrounding urban environment. It is defiantly true to tradition while also illuminating a sense of evolution.
Check out Dcypher’s Urban Abstract in real life on the corner of Welles Street and Colombo Street!
Mexico is a hotbed of colourful culture – from the heritage of Aztec history, the muralist movement, the folkloric expressions, energetic graffiti and more recently, the emergence of a contemporary mural style infused with all of these influences…
Mexico is a hotbed of colourful culture – from the heritage of Aztec history, the muralist movement, the folkloric expressions, energetic graffiti and more recently, the emergence of a contemporary mural style infused with all of these influences… Last year we were lucky enough to spend some time in Mexico, visiting Mexico City and Puerto Vallarta and capturing some arty goodness. It can’t be understated how massive Mexico City is, bustling and colourful, the juxtaposition of traditional graffiti, fun street art, murals and public art a reflection of the city’s diversity. With only a couple of days to explore, much of the art we found was in the Condesa area where we stayed, but we also were able to witness a huge amount of art as we travelled outside the city to the impressive pyramids of Teotihuacán, murals, slogan typography and of course the frescoes of the ancient Aztec city itself. Puerto Vallarta is renowned as a bright, vibrant destination, and the collection of murals throughout the city most certainly adds to that profile – often displaying elements of local culture and history…
It’s impossible to not read this Radiohead lyric in a certain cadence… Mexico CityPaste up, Mexico CitySlaps ahoy (and a familiar name), Mexico CityVirgin Mary stencil, Mexico CityJuvenal wood block paste up, Mexico CityMexico CityXolotl paste up, Mexico CityHelio-One stencil, Mexico CityMexico CityMortal enemies stare off… Mexico CityCat throwie character, Mexico CityDScreet Have you ever seen the rain??? Mexico CityPixel Vandals Mario mosaic, Mexico CityMexico CityPuerto VallartaQvetzal Puerto VallartaPuerto VallartaPuerto VallartaTony Collantez, Puerto Vallarta
Where will our next Postcard come from? Stay tuned!
Watch This Space was proud to host the 2025 artist panel discussion for the Flare Ōtautahi Street Art Festival. Joined onstage by Haser, Fluro, Berst, Jessie Rawcliffe and Ling, the conversation ranged from cultural influences and connection to place, to graffiti’s lineage, the differences between Melbourne and Ōtautahi and when Ling will finally paint a portrait of Berst! Hosted at Dux Central, the event capped a massive week for the artists and organisers of the Flare Festival. Luckily, in case you missed it, we recorded the event and you can watch it below!
Thanks to Corban Tupou for hosting the live stream and Local Elements for working the sound! We are already looking forward to 2026!
The Flare Ōtautahi Street Art Festival kicks off on Thursday, 27th February – and it is bringing 10 days of epic street art goodness! With a massive offering of things to do and see, let’s get everything you need to know in one place!
Headline Artists:
Jacob Yikes – Distinction Hotel – Spark Lane side, just off Cathedral Square
Berst – Spark Lane – opposite Jacob Yikes
Jessie Rawcliffe – 566 Colombo Street (on the exterior of Samurai Bowl)
Haser – Ara Campus, Madras Street
Fluro – 282 Cashel Street (Barbadoes Street end)
YSEK7 – 65 Worcester Street (opposite the eastern exterior of the Christchurch Art Gallery)
Nick Lowry – 173 Gloucester Street (Manchester Street end)
Additional Artworks:
Drez (Australia) – 267 St Asaph Street (opposite the Boxed Quarter)
Ling (Australia) – Exterior of Child Sister Cafe, Manchester Street
FSA x DTR x BRS Crew Wall – 490 Colombo Street, Sydenham
Rinley’s Wall – 47 Wordsworth Street, Sydenham
Ikarus x Dcypher – Spark Lane, Distinction Hotel
Additional Activations and Events:
FSA x Flare Pop-Up Exhibition – 10am – 5pm, 1-9 March, 181 High Street
Tattoo Pop-Up with Chez – 1-2 March, 181 High Street – DM @mkeltattooart for bookings
Watch This Space Street Art Tours – 11am & 2pm, 1, 2, 6, 8 & 9 March, departing from The Drifter – book via website/Humanitix
Flare x Watch This Space x Dulux x Duckewe Mural Jam/Mākete/Skate Day – 10am – 4pm, 8 March, Te Pae Green
Watch This Space Artist Panel Talk – 6:30pm, 7 March, Dux Central – tickets via Humanitix
Blackbook Sessions – see Flare website for details
Stencil Workshop – 6pm, 6 March, The Rambler – tickets via Humanitix
After a three year hiatus, the Flare Ōtautahi Street Art Festival is back for 2025! Featuring seven headline artists creating large-scale murals across the city, more than 50 additional artists contributing to a range of creative activations, street art tours, an artist panel, workshops, a market and an exhibition – this is going to be huge! Oh, and did we mention the creation of Aotearoa’s tallest mural by Jacob Yikes?!?
To mark this return, we caught up with some of the central organising crew – project manager Selina Faimalo, artists Dcypher and Kophie a.k.a Meep, along with our own Reuben Woods to chat about the challenges, the excitement and legacy of Flare!
So, there’s less than a week to go until Flare Ōtautahi Street Art Festival 2025 kicks off! How are you feeling Selina?
Selina Faimalo: I’m good!
Are you sure?
SF: I feel a bit scattered as there’s so much to do, but it is such an exciting time!
You have already done a lot, Yikes has started his huge mural on the Distinction Hotel, the multi-crew wall in Sydenham is complete, a lot of the behind-the-scenes stuff is coming into place… How different has this year been from the 2022 festival?
SF: It’s much easier. There are no Covid restrictions, which has made it a lot easier! With the funding we had already secured, it’s been way easier to get sponsors to get behind it. I guess it’s been okay with walls… Actually, it’s been easy to get the walls, it’s been harder to get concepts approved…
What are the most common challenges with getting concepts approved?
SF: Flare is all about creative freedom, so getting feedback from wall owners and then giving it back to the artists has been hard. We didn’t really have that as much with the first festival.
Do you think that’s because of the new locations or is it a changing sentiment? Street art has to deal those relationships constantly, balancing permission and a process of concession with creative expression. Dcypher, Kophie, as artists how do you navigate those challenges and do those experiences give you more insight when you’re on the ground team helping organise these types of events?
Kophie a.k.a Meep: For me, it’s always important to be able to interpret the brief in my own way, but in doing so I really value working with people and reflecting community, social and environmental issues, which are informed by the research I carry out. Freedom isn’t about painting whatever I want, it’s about responding in meaningful ways to the brief to reflect my ethos as well as the broader community. I think I now get more opportunities to work in that way.
Dcypher, you’re pretty versatile, have you always been willing to go with the flow?
Dcypher: Yeah, that’s always been my approach. I feel like mural art is one of those things that hopefully reflects community, you know if multiple people have input it always has more impact, rather than just doing exactly what I want to do all the time. It can be less impactful to only have one specific viewpoint , not a more wide-ranging perspective.
Ultimately, that is a sign of public art right? It’s this mixture of expression and public conversation, so it’s always walking a tightrope in a way…
D: Exactly it’s like a discussion interpreted into a visual format that can be translated in many ways.
Jacob Yikes begins work on his mural for Flare on the Distinction Hotel
What is it like being on the organisational side of something like this? Obviously, your expertise as artists is super helpful, but how much do you enjoy this side of it and would you rather just be an artist being invited to a festival?
D: Yeah, I would love to be the artist invited to all the festivals and having that creative freedom, but ultimately at the same time I actually like all the groundwork and boots-on-the-ground stuff that has to be done, just having a stake in helping other artists achieve their goals as mural artists is something I enjoy.
K: I’ve got a long history with event management, project management, and working with Selina, so I really like it, doing all the design and stuff like that, it’s fun. Tiring but fun. I organised the exhibition for the last festival as well.
2025 is the second incarnation of Flare, how has it evolved from that first iteration? We have already mentioned that the first festival was hampered by Covid, which changed some of the plans, is this version more like what you always envisaged for Flare?
SF: Yeah definitely. I think we have a solid team now behind Flare. I was a complete noob during the first Flare, I’d done events and stuff, but not street art festivals, obviously, having Kophie and Dcypher and Ikarus help me learn about the culture, I think I understand it all more now…
As much as you can anyway, right! Nothing is ever straight forward, right? There is always some issue or logistical problem, and this festival has had its fair share. I mean, creating one of New Zealand’s biggest murals is always going to create a lot of problems! Then you’ve got the relationship between the creative side and the commercial side. What other challenges have come up and how have you dealt with them?
SF: Often the walls to paint are easy to get, but the land next to the wall you are painting are hard and can be a barrier to getting across the line. Then there’s navigating relationships with who’s in the festival, trying to be inclusive, trying to stretch the budget. Everyone wants to be part of the festival, everyone wants to be involved, but you only have so much money and space…
D: Having done previous festivals, obviously it builds up the reputations of all the artists and other people who want to get involved. It shows the greater community, the people that might be paying for murals, the quality you can get. It shows off artists to the wider world…
SF: With Flare and my involvement organising large scale murals in between, I can understand what it means to organise a mural, but it’s so niche, there’s not that many people I can ask, it’s a very random job. But it’s really cool being a part of the process, like how much paint you need to order, what equipment you need. With Yikes’ mural, it was a logistical nightmare, I feel like now I could organise any scale mural, because that one is like three large lifts and abseilers and a massive projector that weighs 70 kilos! So, I think having a good team, a good community, is really key.
Talking about involving people, how did the seven headline artists come to be selected? We’ve got Nick Lowry, Jessie Rawcliffe, Jacob Yikes and Ysek7, all from Ōtautahi, and then you’ve got the three out of town artists, Fluro, Haser and Berst, what were the key reasons for selecting those artists?
D: I think there is always a desire to get new people opportunities who haven’t been part of Flare before, but definitely, there should also be a focus on well-established Christchurch artists…
K: It’s always important to have a diversity of styles.
SF: Berst is a key figure in the graffiti world and is generally just awesome to work with. We always have an approach that ensures graffiti is a big part of the festival and having Berst as one of the headliners achieves that, Fluro both has a connection here, having grown up in Ōtautahi, and she also comes from a graffiti background. Haser, has that grounding as well, but he also brings a totally unique style, infusing his work with his experience as a Māori artist. I feel like we need more representation of Māori art works locally…
It becomes about a public discourse, right? It’s the same with graffiti, which is seen as this thing to chastise, so incorporating it is really important to help the public to understand it and what impact it can have. It’s about acknowledging and creating a discourse about public performance. From a personal point of view for each of you, what are you most looking forward to in Flare?
SF: For it to start!
K: The opening and closing parties!
SF: I think just seeing it all happen. As soon as everyone’s got all their paint and they’ve got their lifts and it’s can to wall, paint brush to wall, and I can actually see what’s happening visually, rather than just on my computer and on my phone!
D: I think getting lots of artists in one spot together is just really cool. Starting conversations and having an exchange of ideas and approaches to muralism for artists is a massive draw card for the New Zealand mural art scene in general, it’s not something that happens a lot, especially having everyone coming from all ends of the country.
K: Just hanging out with everyone, like in the last festival, when we got to scooter around on the Lime Scooters and see everyone’s progress, hang out and collaborate like Dcypher said. There’s such a wide mixture of things happening this time as well, so it’s like every day there is going to be stuff going on…
D: I think that the market day [on Saturday, March 8 at Te Pae Green] is probably going be a highlight for me, and of course, creating the largest mural in New Zealand!
How much thought goes into how this event reflects Ōtautahi’s street art standing? Obviously, there are some really good events around the country, like South Sea Spray, Graffiato, Boon, how important is it that Flare, just like Christchurch, has a unique vibe and feel, rather than it sort of replicating what’s already happening elsewhere?
SF: I guess it’s co-created, I think that’s the whole the thing about Flare, it’s created by everyone if that makes sense, it’s Dcypher, it’s Kophie, it’s Ikarus, it’s you, it’s everyone. It’s us trying to make it happen together…
D: I think just geographically the city’s layout and architecture is perfect for a thriving mural scene especially after the earthquakes it just really put Christchurch at the top of the list for muralism in New Zealand. All the prior festivals, Rise, Spectrum, all the stuff that OiYOU! did, you know everything that came before any of this started is super important as to where it’s going to go and why it is the way it is right now. All the work that everyone’s put in beforehand is finally culminating with Flare.
K: The incorporation of graffiti as well, is unique.
There’s a sense of authenticity because Flare is representing something that is organically and authentically happening in the city already. It’s incorporating those parts of the culture that matter in a way that maybe some other places are unable to do for various reasons. We’ve been through so much that half of the sell has already been made, its established. We need this type of event because we’ve got such an embedded urban art culture here. That goes along with making this event work, that sort of authentic, organic aspect, it’s a response to our city’s history, and it feels quite powerful.
SF: I think as well like I don’t know other cities, but everyone’s pretty easy and knows each other, it’s not too hard to get people to work together.
D: The Christchurch scene has always been like that, even back in the day all the different graffiti crews, even though there were obviously conflicts, more often than not everyone just got along and painted together…
Detail of the FSA X DTR X BRS Crew Production on Colombo Street in Sydenham
That is important because everyone is pulling in the same direction, everyone wants it to be successful rather than having people wanting to tear it down. Kophie, you were at an important age when like the likes of Rise and Spectrum took place and you got to be part of those festivals, how much of an influence did those experiences have on your pathway to becoming the artist you are now?
K: I was already writing graffiti and stuff, but just hanging out with all those international artists was just really inspiring, so I kind of like forced my way in there to volunteer and hang out with everyone, I just hung around and didn’t stop hanging around people until they let me paint!
SF: That’s how you make friends!
Do you hope that Flare will do that for another generation?
K: I hope so, but a lot of people don’t want to put in the volunteer work, or they just expect things to be handed to them, so get in there and do stuff…
For you Dcypher, this must be so pleasing, because when you were coming up we didn’t have these types of events here in Christchurch, it must be awesome to see that that evolution from your point of view.
D: Yeah, I mean half the reason I moved to the States was because I didn’t necessarily see a career path here strictly painting murals . I knew Project Legit wouldn’t have longevity with the City Council’s viewpoint it wasn’t necessarily going to fund it forever, so it was time to leave. So coming back to Christchurch and seeing how much it had developed after the earthquakes was awesome…
Surely a programme like Project Legit would have benefited so much from having something like Flare, because it is a pathway, right? Project Legit was helping young graffiti writers explore positive outcomes, but where could they go from there at that time?
D: Yeah, at the time, I don’t think a lot of people saw a direct career path. I definitely did early on, but all the other guys I would work with, not many of them saw that same career path, everyone just wanted to keep it just strictly graffiti and unadulterated which is obviously the core ethos of graffiti culture. I think some people had that line of sight and a lot of people have differing viewpoints, it was either something that faded in their twenties, but now new generations can see a clear career path, even if they may not be hyper focused on it, they can still kind of see it as a potential direction.
So, how can people get involved this year in Flare?
SF: Come to everything!
D: Support your local artists, buy stuff! Exchange ideas!
SF: Go to the show, come to the talks and learn about the headlining artists, go on the tours and learn about what’s there already, volunteer…
D: Just bring life back into the city. After the earthquakes, all the malls took people away from the city, so this is a massive draw card to bring people into the city and make it feel alive.
Flare Ōtautahi Street Art Festival kicks off on February 28th, with the programme running through March 9th. Stay tuned for full Flare coverage – including the full programme, interviews with artists and updates! Get excited!
Los Angeles is an iconic city, but it never quite feels like it lives up to any sense of beautiful grandeur, the architecture is more post-modern than historic, the sun bleaches so many of its surfaces that there is always a sense that it has been washed out, and the sprawl makes it hard to contextualise your location. But despite this, there is an undeniable quality to the various haunts, whether it is the air of Hollywood Boulevard, the familiar locations from film and television, or the eccentricities of Venice Beach. The wide streets and the open expanse above give it feeling not dissimilar from post-quake Ōtautahi, although on a completely different scale. So when we were recently in the city, there was an unsettling melange of familiarity, strangeness, expectation and reality. But, for all that, there were lots of artistic treats to discover, from large murals to smaller interventions, with some big names thrown in the mix. It is impossible to cover all of such a sprawling city, and even the places we did explore are often hard to fully navigate, but here are some favourites we did find. Dive on in and check out some of our highlights from the City of Angels…
Yarn Bombing on Melrose AveWRDSMTH in West HollywoodAmerican Vintage on Melrose AvenueWRDSMTH in West HollywoodArt is War on Melorse AvenueEl Mac and Kophie in West HollywoodEd Ruscha at The Broad MuseumWalter Schels in West HollywoodMiss Van in HollywoodEsao Andrews in HollywoodTristan Eaton in HollywoodUnknown in HollywoodJonas Never in Venice BeachCats and Kobe in Venice BeachAbe and ZBoy in Venice BeachSlaps on Venice BeachNychos in Venice BeachThe Weird Crew in Venice BeachVenice BeachSHANE in Venice BeachTRIXTER in Venice BeachSlaps in Venice BeachUnknown artist in Venice BeachRip Cronk in Venice BeachOBEY slap in Venice BeachVhils in Venice BeachHiJack in Venice BeachMark Bradford at LAX
So, we have an apology to make – July kind of slipped by and we didn’t get our monthly list of favourites completed on time (can you see the shame on our face? We look like a dog who got into the rubbish). But don’t fear, that means this month you get a two-for-one! We even made it a little bit bigger, so it is kind of an end of winter blockbuster. Grab some popcorn, slurp your soda and check out the things we loved from the last 8 weeks!
The Giant Cans Get a Refresh
The Giant Cans on St Asaph Street are designed to be split between free wall spaces (the three cans to the east) and more permanent works (the three cans to the south-west). To keep things fresh, the three ‘permanent’ cans are re-painted routinely and the latest transformation was a unique collaboration between Jacob Yikes, Ikarus and Jessie Rawcliffe – a sprawling tribute to Dragonball creator Akira Toriyama. Mixing familiar landscapes and characters with the artists’ signature styles, it has to be said that the work is “over 9000!”…
Ghstie Goes Nostalgic…
We have loved finding Ghstie’s three-eyed tributes to the cartoons of our past – whether Slimer from Ghostbusters or Casey Kelp from the Snorks, we are suckers for a trip down memory lane…
FSA Catch the Train
With their signature flair in full monochrome effect, the FSA’s crew’s tribute to subway trains and graffiti is both a bold addition to the Manchester Street bus stops and a wink to the subversive culture…
Rest in Peace…
Just like Ghstie’s slaps, Dark Ballad’s reflective stickers bring some nostalgic heat with the stencilled image of wrestling legend The Undertaker, fitting for an artist with a love of life’s darker side!
Drows’ Connection
We were proud to support the production of Drows’ striking Connection on Colombo Street – an activation of a long vacant site by the Christchurch City Council. Alongside the landscaping of the area, Drows’ colourful hoarding work speaks of his, and by extension the viewers’, connection to place – from the maunga to the awa and beyond, Connection is at once personal and universal…
A Summery New Brighton Jam…
It is always good to stumble upon a surprise, and when we noticed some activity across the carpark on a quick trip to New Brighton, we had to investigate… We quickly found members of the DTR crew, Dcypher, Ikarus and Drows, along with Jessie Rawcliffe refreshing a popular wall, a good reminder of Summer’s impending arrival and the increased activity that is sure to come with the longer days…
Just Eating my Iskender…
We love a little story and wandering down Hereford Lane, we couldn’t help but be struck by the poetic tone of Kaepe’s waxy statement. We love our city, but that doesn’t mean it is perfect, and sometimes, it is the margins that remind us…
Monti in New Brighton…
We love Monti Masiu’s paintings, celebrations of his Tongan heritage in striking compositions that are both traditional and contemporary. His work on a temporary hoarding in New Brighton is awash in warm brown, ochre and orange tones, brightening up an otherwise stolid setting…
Jacob Yikes at Smiths City
Jacob Yikes is one of Ōtautahi’s most iconic urban artists, with his instantly recognisable style and aesthetic, so it was fitting that he adorn the iconic Smiths City premises on Colombo Street, a local company that has been in the location since 1918, familiar to generations of Cantabrians. We love the vibrant tones and serene scene…
teethlikescrewdrivers’ Doodle Session
We were stoked to launch our new Doodle Session video series – where we chat to artists while they draw – exploring their process and their creative mindsets. First up is teethlikescrewdrivers, who ran through a range of his fixations, from chairs and pencils to words and self-portraits – a lovely, chaotic, creative ramble! Stay tuned for episode two – it will be live by the time you read this!
They were our highlights for July and August – let us know what you think!
Our new Doodle Session series is a deep dive into the creative process of some of our favourite artists. We sit down and let the creative energy flow as they draw, doodle and mark a page, all while we ask a few questions and explore what makes them tick, the role drawing plays, and how it all comes together.
Episode one of our Doodle Sessions features none other than teethlikescrewdrivers – whose energy is evident in the way he annotates our conversation with drawings, from school chairs to pencils, self-portraits to phrases – check it out and get inspired!
Keep an eye out for future episodes on our YouTube channel!
