MARTHA: A Picture Story: Science. Art. Film. Series (3 of 4)

MARTHA: A PICTURE STORY

2019 | DCP | USA | Selina Miles

Thursday, 27 October, 2022, at 6 PM
Arc Cinema, NFSA
This event is free. 
 

The origins of graffiti and street art are commonly traced back to 1970s New York, the decade's anti-commercialism and its subcultures - and the 2019 film Martha: A Picture Story offers fascinating insights into the genesis of art in urban environments. Such early, subversive expressions of public art included graffiti on the sides of subways, walls and public buildings. While illegal artworks continue to populate urban spaces, there is a trend towards legitimising and celebrating urban artists as promoters of community connection and contemporary placemaking. In many cities, e.g. in Australia, street art has become a very popular form of public art. This evening brings together a range of perspectives - including those of artists who transform streetscapes and neighbourhoods with their artwork, and researchers studying artistic expressions on urban surfaces - to talk about the evolution and change of graffiti and street art over time internationally and in Canberra. 

Speakers: BOHIE, Jinks, ACT Government graffiti management coordinator Dr Lisa Petheram and Dr Anna-Sophie Jürgens.  

Specialising in hand-drawn typography, murals and street art, Canberra artist BOHIE creates deeply meaningful storytelling experiences for public artworks and commercial briefs.  

Jinks is a first generation graffiti writer from Canberra. Since the early 1980s he has painted across Australia and in many locations around the world. His sketches, canvases and paint work have been shown in magazines around the world. His canvas work has also been shown at galleries in New York City.    

Dr Lisa Petheram works in graffiti coordination with local government, and also as a participatory community artist with the Distaffik Collective. 

Anna-Sophie Jürgens is a Lecturer in Popular Entertainment Studies at the Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science (ANU). Her research explores the cultural meanings of science.