Street/Studio

Melbourne, deemed the stencil capital of the world, has garnered international attention for the quality and diversity of its street art. As in other street art epicentres such as London, NewYork and Berlin, local artists in Melbourne must negotiate the challenges between the street, the studio and gallery spaces as urban art becomes increasingly commercialised in contemporary culture. Street/Studio examines some these challenges by profiling ten local artists whose work responds to the public spaces of the city while traversing the conventions of gallery space. The book showcases their work and their thoughts on key issues in contemporary urban art. This includes the ways in which street art has the potential to transform both public places and gallery space, the challenges of making work in urban spaces, the limits and potential to transform of a temporary art form, and its entry in the mainstream as one of the new most collectable art forms. Street/Studio is both a dialogue about the demands of the street as well as the studio and a celebration of the achievements of Melbournes street artists.