Author: Brisbane Street Art Festival

Local Brisbane dweller Darcie’s practice navigates the corners of one’s brain, expressing emotions and reflecting on the poignant aspect of change, identity and nostalgia. The artist works collaboratively with materials ranging from paint, pencil, collage, digital, installation and more, relying on an intuitive process to create. Through these means, Darcie investigates the human condition and social constructs, drawing parallels between the personal and collective experience. This occurs through the phlegmatic lens of a 23-year-old pessimist. While diverse in medium and media, the artists practice is continuously grounded by the pursuit for authentic self-expression.

Mulga is a renowned Australian street artist, freelance illustrator, muralist, published author and designer of the much loved Mulga product range. Known for his unique Australian creations and signature style of intricate line work and bright colours, Mulga’s creations grace walls and objects across the world.

After having his first art show and launching his art career in 2012 he left his finance job in 2014 to become a full-time art dude. Mulga’s summer-inspired designs bring to life a world where tropical bearded men run rampant and gorillas rule the world like some kind of funky planet of the apes.

Born in Queensland, Mei is a Japanese Australian artist based in the Brisbane area. Inspired by their mixed heritage, Mei’s art varies from paintings, digital work, and murals inspired by experiences throughout their life. Motivated by the confusion and pride of being a Japanese Australian, Mei explores topics like cultural differences, sexuality, and gender identity, creating art to unapologetically express their thoughts.

Illma Gore born in Brisbane is a Los Angeles-based artist best known for provocative and controversial works that challenge societal norms and conventions. Their art has consistently gained worldwide attention. In 2016, Gore created a portrait of then-presidential candidate Donald Trump that depicted him nude, with a small penis. Not long after protesting with an infamous blood mural with INDECLINE and a fully functional toilet made of Louis Vuitton making headlines. Illma also gained recognition for her work on the Human Canvas project, where she allowed 5000 strangers to tattoo anything onto her body.

Gore’s art often explores themes of sexuality, gender, power of the physical body, and politics, and is known for the use of bold statements, a futurism mindset and graphic imagery.

With works exhibited in galleries around the world, including London, New York, and Los Angeles, Australia and Spain, despite the controversy surrounding her art, Gore remains committed to pushing boundaries and sparking conversations through their work.

Catriona Drummond works in the animation industry, as well as creating personal work in her own time. Her most well known role being the creation of Bluey as its Lead Art Director. She likes bizarre Australian stories and the quiet strangeness before a storm rolls over Brisbane on a summer afternoon.

Ailsa has been practicing Aboriginal art techniques since she was 5 years old. Growing up in a art family she inherited her skills and knowledge though her elders. Since creating Wulkuraka Designs back in 2014 Ailsa has done a collection of collaborations with clothing lines, private and corporate adventures. To fostering new talent in reaching out to youth who needs some guidance. Ailsa drives strength from her grandparents who were both apart of the stolen generation. Her main love for love is the landscape she surrounds herself in. You will always be engulfed in Ailsa’s stories and knowledge of her culture in her artwork.

My name is Kimberly Engwicht and I’m the Creative Director of K-Rae Designs – a digital illustration and stationery company located on Yuggera Country, Queensland. I’m a proud Bundjalung and South Sea Islander mother of two children. I’ve been a full time artist and business owner since 2017. I experimented with watercolours and paint in the beginning but it didn’t really feel like me. Then I purchased an iPad and fell in love with digital art. My artworks range from cartoon style characters to pop culture icons to fantasy mixed with realism landscape illustrations. My love for bold black outlines and use of bright colours are always evident in my works. I aim to connect audiences of all ages through icons and illustrations inspired by popular culture.

Hello! My name is Bree Buttenshaw and I am a proud Kalkadoon woman who loves creating interesting pieces of art. Art has always been something heavily involved in my life, my family are super creative and crafty and Little Butten was able to flourish with their support. Creativity has always been an outlet for me, to explore my culture, explore myself and as a form of therapy. 

Little Butten to me is a space where I can express myself and have fun with art. Art shouldn’t be something that is incredibly complex or unattainable, art is all around us. Little Butten is a community, my Mum and Nan are my biggest supporters and will be helping me throughout the Brisbane Street Art Festival! I couldn’t do it all without them. 

I’m super excited to be a part of BSAF and hope to see you all there!

From a lifetime of making Art, Mike’s skill set is broad as is his range of creative influences. His driving passion for creating stemmed from an early love of comic books and cartoons and later developed to the influences of action sports, urban and rural landscapes, people and wildlife, concrete and culture. Today Mike’s illustrative and bold imagery continues to capture the magic of the world around him. Mike places a massive emphasis on quality over quantity, forever developing his own unique and unforgettable style. Whether it’s a pair of skis, a beer label, a company logo, or of course, his preferred size canvas: Large Scale Outdoor Murals, the style is always unmistakably Mike’s. Mike’s approach to his work is at the highest professional standards, from concept to design and proposal through production and final delivery. Mike employs the same enthusiasm and attention to detail when working with small bespoke brands as he does with Local governments, brands, Agencies and the private sector.

My paintings are based on ethereal fluid forms with a focus on uplifting colour and hyper-realistic texture. Each design begins with 3D digital rendering and so the finished works are a dance between the materiality of painting and the slick aesthetic of the digital. As the reality we are forging between the ‘real’ and ‘digital’ deepens throughout every aspect of life, conversations around this dynamic relationship are becoming ever more interesting and nuanced. The forms in my paintings shift between objects we might recognise such as textiles or glass yet remain intentionally unresolved as conceptually I’m interested in giving form to the intangible. By that, I mean I am attempting to express those experiences that are hard to describe with language but are an integral part of our human experience. I want to create an ambience with my work where you can be transported to those elusive states of being where our imaginations are free to wonder. I use a combination of figuration and abstraction in my work to explore this meeting point between our physical and transcendent existence.