One of the most significant street art and graffiti exhibitions ‘Tools of the Trade’ by HKwalls opens this Saturday 7 May as part of the Brisbane Street Art Festival (BSAF) located in the festival’s brand new art precinct, Superordinary Northshore. BSAF is dedicated to delivering a world-class program throughout Brisbane each year, and 2022 is no exception presenting this international showcase from the dynamic urban landscape of Hong Kong. Brisbane will be the exhibition’s first international stop since its launch in May last year.
An intimate insight into the historically hidden world of graffiti and street art, ‘Tools of the Trade’ documents the tools, traditions, and techniques that have facilitated the works of street artists over the last seventy years. In order to overcome obstacles under the cover of night, graffiti and street artists were forced to innovate using discreet techniques and tools that allowed them to produce their best works as quickly and efficiently as possible. This exhibition highlights the ingenuity and the creativity of the artists, showcasing the DIY tools used before commercial companies started creating more products suited for the streets. Viewers can expect homemade DIY markers and sprays, laser-guided projection, adapted gear used to rappel down buildings and self-programmed graffiti drones.
Jason Dembski, Curator & Co-Founder of HKwalls states, “‘Tools of the Trade’ is about paying tribute to the cultures, the process and the tools. Most of the time, people only see the final product, but don’t often know how, why or by who the work was created. ‘Tools of the Trade’ offers a bit of something for everyone, for people who don’t know anything about graffiti or street art, it offers a behind-the-scenes look at how things are done and encourages participation. For the seasoned artist, it’s a walk down memory lane. Sometimes there’s just as much creativity in making the tools or how they are used as there is in the final artwork.”
The exhibition will feature artists and tools dating back to the late 1960s USA, starting with a piece from Cornbread, who has widely been credited with starting the modern graffiti movement in the United States; this will be juxtaposed with images of the King of Kowloon who started painting the streets of Hong Kong as long as 10 years earlier, in the mid-1950s.
Beyond the physical tools, the exhibition will display artwork, installations and films from artists, photographers and videographers worldwide. A major part of the exhibition will highlight the work of acclaimed American photographer Martha Cooper, who is best known for documenting the New York graffiti and hip-hop scene in the late 70s and through the 80s. In 1984 Cooper and fellow photographer Henry Chalfant published Subway Art, a book often dubbed the graffiti “bible” that helped spread the graffiti movement worldwide. Cooper’s contribution to the exhibition will not only highlight the tools that artists have used throughout history but also her career and dedication to capturing the culture over the years. Cooper’s life story is featured in award-winning documentary: ‘Martha: A Picture Story’ available to watch on Netflix.
‘Tools of the Trade’ kicks off this Saturday 7 May in conjunction with the massive BSAF warehouse party celebrating the launch of the festival. In the same Festival Launch Party, the Superordinary Northshore warehouse will introduce ‘Within these Walls’ and the ‘House of Iris’ Exhibition that is set to open up the inner circles of Brisbane’s street art scene to the broader Brisbane community through a multi-disciplinary exhibition spanning from Brisbane’s best photography to mix-media, paintings and more. The exhibitions including ‘Tools of the Trade’ will also be open to the public during NOW IS NIGH, the festival’s closing party presented by Yonder Festival.
