Having that love in the bones for our ancestral home in the West, seeing great art come out of there is always pretty cool – but couple that with an equally fine selection of artistry from the east coast just completes the awesome factor.

Taking nine artists from the west coast, and nine artists from the east coast, Bryan Dalli and Luke Thomas have forged an intriguing show, East West, which will be opening at National Grid Gallery this coming Friday.

Having seen a couple of the preview images from this show, it really is of the highest calibre, traversing street, illustration, painting stencils and more, it really has something for everyone. Even from the few preview images, there really does seem to be a cohesion amongst the works in the show. Taking those opposite counterpoints, and hand picking the artists by which to balance the theme looks like it has produced a really unique collection of new works.

“East West came to fruition one balmy summer evening in late 2010 when some light drunken banter between two like minded friends, (one from Yallingup, WA, and the other from Narrabeen, NSW), developed into a fully fledged group exhibition of artists from opposite sides of Australia.

Art loving east coaster, Bryan Dalli, and west coast creative all rounder, Luke Thomas, have culminated their artistic networks to curate an exhibition of nine artists from the west coast of Australia, and nine artists from the east coast of Australia.

“Louie and I saw a gap in art show space. There were no stand out events that brought together talent from such polar opposites, we felt the need to set the benchmark and bridge the gap” BD.

The exhibition showcases the assorted talents and artistic techniques of emerging to established artists, normally separated by geography, in a communal space. Each of the 18 artists were hand picked to compliment the groups dynamics, and to bring their own unique style and flavour to the event.

“We set out to select a broad mix of skills and artistic genres, so we pulled together friends and colleagues from different backgrounds and compiled a pretty hard hitting line up. The show has stencils and graffiti, juxtaposed with low brow art, and epic garage pieces.” LT.

There will be a live airbrushing display on the opening night with the final product being sold by silent auction. The 2011 East West event debuts in Sydney (11/11/11), with the show set to start touring coast to coast next year.”

Very nice indeed.

West Coast Artists:
Ian Mutch (Kingbrown), Jen Thomas, Holdfast Tattoo Studios Artists, Phil Smart, Suzi Q, Lauren Fenlon, Ryan Young, Nathan B, Saira Kwol

East Coast Artists:
Caspian De Looze, Bec Crockett, Emily Reid, Laure Ives, Nick Bazarow, Patrick Indo, Rad Dan, Sam Clark, Desmond Sweeney (Live Airbrushing)

What: East West Group Show
Where: The National Grid, 24 Chard Road, Brookvale, Sydney
When: Show opens Friday 11th November, 630pm and runs til December 2nd.

Check out the National Grid Gallery for more info.