Author: Brisbane Street Art Festival

Blu Art Xinja has been a street artist for the last five years, installing the iconic blue sculptural pieces in and around Brisbane and whenever Blu travels to other cities or abroad. The goal is to bridge the gap between graffiti and authorised public sculpture/art. Blu enjoys placing pieces in hard to reach places, as well as very public areas, the brilliant blue contrasting against the structures of the urban environment. Blu’s work for this festival will be harking back to their very first pieces they placed around Brisbane: Sprouts and organic forms growing from side spaces and alleyways, beautifying those areas that are often neglected, but always visible in our periphery. 

Yin Lu is a 22-year-old Brisbane-based Chinese Australian artist, creator and director of The Window of Yin Arts and Cultural Communication Pty. Ltd. Illustrator, designer, muralist and pre-service teacher at UQ. In 2018 she graduated from QUT with a BA of Visual Arts (Major in Fine Arts), while also being the first Chinese Australian muralist and representative guest speaker to participate in the “International Graffiti Art Festival” in Hunan province, China. Moreover, Yin has also participated in numerous exhibitions and festivals, including BIGSOUND and BrisAsia, while her work was also projected on the William Jolly Bridge during the 2020 Brisbane Chinese Festival.

A 27 year old artist, born on Belgium but currently residing in Brisbane. She studied art from the age of 14 to 18, but afterwards she didn’t let her passion for it die. From painting and drawing to embroideries and entomology , she always finds her inspiration in fauna and flora. Ever since moving to Australia in 2016 she has used many mediums, but is now trying to move from painting on the little canvas to expressing herself through large scale nature scenes. The experience she gained with working with Leans is now turning her insecurities into strengths and she wants to show what she has in her mind. Thanks so amazing peopl, she has been given the opportunity to paint a couple of murals, but she hopes that this will be the beginning of a new career path.

Like all trees, Treazy’s roots are planted strong in the underground. As the seasons change it’s time for growth, time to break through the surface of anonymity and transition into the full being of his creative potential. With more than 20 years in the game he still only considers himself at the beginning of where this artistic journey will take him. Graffiti has played a pinnacle role in his life, teaching him priceless gems about the values of freedom and friendships, the evils of the system and how to navigate around it.

Tori-Jay Mordey is an established Indigenous Australian illustrator and artist currently based in Brisbane. Growing up she openly shared both her Torres Strait Islander and English heritage, which is often reflected in her contemporary Indigenous art practice producing work based around her family and siblings as a way of understanding herself, her appearance and racial identity. Tori-Jay also produces a lot illustrative work that conceptually explore deeper human emotions – these works are often drawn as longingly expressive, exaggerated cartoon characters. Over the years Tori-Jay has hone her skills in digital illustration, drawing, painting, printmaking and film while also expanding her skills as a mural artist.

Christina Huynh (STYNA) is an illustrator and artist based in Western Sydney. Storytelling and the heritage of a place are some elements that influence and inspire her work. There are also recurring themes of curiosity, adventure and the imagination that dance in each piece. From using traditional mediums of watercolour, ink, and pen to the vastly different worlds of aerosol combined with acrylic, her art practice is an exploration of creating murals, illustrations, and picture books.

Spectator Jonze is the moniker of the artist behind Deena Lynch. Lynch was born in Yokohama, Japan to a Taiwanese mother and an Australian father, migrating to Australia when she was 6 years old. Throughout her childhood and adolescence this put Lynch in touch with a myriad of people and demons, coming from disjointed backgrounds themselves, or from positions of power. 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. She does this through a colourful, comedic display of imperfectly perfect beauty through her subjects.

Born 1983 in Seoul, South Korea, Sophi Odling is an Australian artist who has been painting large-scale murals since 2016 around the globe. Her colourful and vivid dreamscape works reflect the environment and cultures she encounters. Travelling the world, seeing the people, streets and way of life, these are her spectacle. Sophi continues to plan her ongoing travels as the main source of inspiration. Her work aims to encourage border- less minds, celebrate the acceptance of cultural diversity and to provide awareness of our current social and environmental climate.

Sirmano is the alias of Anna, a Brisbane artist who creates playful illustrations working with paint, wood and mixed media. Her unique style summons a curious and unpredictable world for her characters to live. Sirmano’s creative practice has drawn influence from her love of travel, different cultures and her heritage.

Rachael Sarra is an Ipswich based artist and designer whose work is an extension of her being and experiences. As a contemporary Aboriginal artist from Goreng Goreng Country, Rachael uses art as a powerful tool in storytelling to educate and share Aboriginal culture and it’s evolution. Rachaels work often challenges and explores the themes of societies perception of what Aboriginal art and identity is.
Her style is feminine, fun and engaging but is strongly drawn from her heritage and her role as an Aboriginal woman in a modern world. Rachael is fuelled by passion to continue exploring her Aboriginality through art and design, with each piece strengthening her identity.