Author: Brisbane Street Art Festival

Sheep (Chen Yang), an artist from Jiazing, China, began graffiti in 2008. Feeling the significance of the present and the practice in every work, and hoping to infect the surrounding environment and people with a more active magnetic field through his work. In 2016 their spiritual meditation practice began to change their world outlook, believing that the strength of “mindfulness” and the importance of living in the present, and the way and subject of painting changed accordingly.
The style of Sheep’s works has been infected with the magnetic field of the surrounding environment with a bright colour and hint of words. Their works have a harmonious powers, and aim to inhibit positive feelings

Of his work and experience, Smoe says “I met the Hip-Hop movement in a small village in south Italy, where nature shows its grandeur. It was in the late nineties, I was twelve years old, and l started to express myself with graffiti. Since then I have never stopped expressing my creativity and I always brought my art wherever I‘ve been. There are many ways to call what I do, someone says street-art, masterpieces, urban art, writing. But I like to call it all graffiti, painting out of the canvas. Nowadays graffiti is entering the houses of people, and I enter inside with Them. My creativity and everything I do comes from hip-hop culture and writing of the past and from my present life, my travels, work and new influences. For me art and graffiti still are the medium through which I move and I explore the the world.”

Mouf has been painting his unique curious characters around Brisbane for a number of years, he has an interest in the absurd and colourful which is seen in the entities of his creation. His practice is influenced by his explorations of the forgotten spaces around Brisbane and the underground street art movement that has existed in these spaces for decades.

Hailing from Brisbane, Sofles jokes that his tag sounds like a box of tissues or something from a Hallmark card. He began painting graffiti in 2000 and soon wanted to get better as fast as he could. He began experimenting with 3Ds, however a more traditional style was developed and then improved upon. He quickly became known around the globe as an artist putting in both quantity and quality. As he mastered his craft, Sofles gained the reputation of “Special Effects Wizard”, a reference to his uncanny ability to take any style to the next level.

Sortwo has been doing art since he was 13 years old. Born and raised in the Basque Country (Spain), he got an appreciation for the street art around his neighborhood and it developed into his lifestyle. Art has opened doors for him and allowed him to travel to different countries and practice his passion.
He works with a variety of art methods, never limiting his imagination. His phenomenal style has adapted to indoor and outdoor environments, often creating detailed surrealistic paintings. His primary works are detailed murals created through the use of paint rollers, paint brushes, and spray paint.

Suki is a Melbourne based artist who works primarily with urban art installations and printmaking, though also explores materials including fabric, fibre, ink and found objects. Combining subtle femininity and the natural world she creates works that contrast and complement the walls of the city. Travelling around the country and overseas to share her art Suki seeks to draw attention to the beauty in the decay of urban walls and the disparity of quiet images against the busy world of city life.

Spectator Jonze is the moniker of the artist within Deena Lynch. Jonze was born in Yokohama, Japan to a Taiwanese mother and Australian father. She migrated to Australia under interesting and less than certain circumstances when she was 6 years old.
She grew in many different homes and situations – not quite an orphan, not quite belonging anywhere. This put her in touch with a myriad of people and demons coming from disjointed backgrounds themselves or from a position of power. Being in contact with emotional, physical and sexual abuse pushed her into the safety of PTSD where suppression, depression and dissociation became a survival tactic.
Having always carried a creative mind, it was only natural for Jonze to use art and music as an outlet of expression. 2017 was the year she finally came to an age and understanding to tackle her mental health, quirks and trauma. Art became a medium she utilised as a cathartic vessel to uncover the secrets she had even hidden from herself. ‘Spectator Jonze’ is the culmination of self-discovery and healing that has evolved into a people project of passion – bringing mental health to light by depicting the often taboo subject of our individual battles into a colourful, comedic display of imperfectly perfect beauty.

We are Artists, Designers, Illustrators, Photographers, Painters, Teachers and Learners. First and foremost, we’re creative thinkers dedicated to bringing a glass half full attitude to everything we do. From rural Australian silo murals to laneways in Nepal, we strive to bring colour and empowerment to communities everywhere.

Wasp Elder is a socially engaged artist whose aim is to paint murals that communicate varying levels of history and social-poetics with people and in place. He often paints pictures populated by figures and unstressed backgrounds, enticing a sentiment of an obscure journey. His paintings present an evocative combination of solitary figures, collaged scenes, close-ups and obscured features. Through this working process he is able to present often marginalised figures through a dignified representation. Sam also co-ran a DIY multi functional art-space called The Abacus as well as a street art project called Empty Walls. He has collaborated on many projects across the world and continues to use his experiences to learn about people, place and environment.

Xandolino is a Brisbane based Brazilian artist with a background in architecture and graphic design. His art is about responding to the moment, and the environment surrounding him. He uses collections of simple shapes and colours to build patterns. Although the end result is often abstract, people can find unintentionally hidden figures in his pieces. His inspirations include old maps, nature, board games, puzzles, graffiti, electronics, people, music, mechanisms, comic books, history, etc. In his own words: “While I am creating it feels like turning my logical mind off and flowing with the unconscious, with small steps back to check the overall result. It is an intricate relationship between random and systematic.”