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Tagging Mr Balog

Written by Mitch Jordan

Whether it’s the indecipherable scrawl of an angsty adolescent, an anti-capitalist poster or sky-high mural, street art is alive and well, even in Australia.

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You’d have to be living under a rock to not notice street art; but even rocks make for good tagging. Whether it’s the indecipherable scrawl of an angsty adolescent, an anti-capitalist poster or sky-high mural, street art is alive and well, even in Australia.

Street art is a diverse term which encompasses many forms and genres including; graffiti, tagging, postering, stencilling and stickers to name a few. Each of these forms attracts its own sub-culture and rules and rarely do the separate groups converge. It doesn’t always have to be this way.

Three years ago, Tugi Balog set up May’s Lane, an outdoor street art gallery space in the Sydney suburb of St Peters. Attracting people from all ages and locations, the space is today as much a drawcard for tourists and passers by as it is for artists. The ever-changing vibrant walls range from harsh political statements to the abstract and obscure.

“I’m trying to get people to paint in the lanes so that it’s concentrated and shows different styles and techniques,” Balog explains. “The public can see all this in one place without having to travel all over Sydney.”

Behind the spray cans is the man everyone is talking about: Banksy. The British enigma has ensured that street art stays in the public’s conscience. Part of Banksy’s allure is his reluctance to step into the limelight and tell all. With the exception of an interview in the Guardian Unlimited, Banksy has so far refused all requests from media (believe me, we tried). Some feel that his anonymity is nothing more than a public relations stunt designed to keep people interested, while others see his stance as reflective of street artists worldwide: he could be anyone. Either way, his work has attracted praise and established him as a role model for stencil and spray kids everywhere.

“He’s a smart guy who uses the street for a cause,” says Balog. “He’s witty and cynical but he’s also a dreamer and his work is quite strong. It’s put in the right places at the right times.”

One only needs to look at some of Banksy’s antics to know that Balog has hit the nail on the head. Climbing to the top of the London Zoo unnoticed, Banksy left the words: “We’re bored of fish” at the penguin enclosure.

In Australia, David Burgess and Will Saunders risked life and limb in 2003 when they painted NO WAR on the iconic Sydney Opera House. Before them was B.U.G.A. U.P. (Billboard Utilising Graffitists Against Unhealthy Promotions) a Sydney-based group established in the ’70s. Committed to defaming and subverting billboard advertising which promoted anything unhealthy – namely alcohol and cigarettes – B.U.G.A. U.P. comprised of everyday Joes, doctors and even politician Arthur Chesterfield-Evans.

There is an element of excitement to street art, Balog admits. “It gives you a thrill to do something that’s not totally legal,” he says. But this is only one reason why people chose to get involved. As an art form it makes people equal, isn’t pretentious, and it’s not going anywhere.

“The street is a medium and a wall is a nice canvas,” Balog says. “It is out there for everyone.”

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