In something completely refreshed and promising, direct from the National Gallery of Australia, commissioned by and held at the RMIT University Gallery (Melbourne CBD), comes the travelling street art show‘Space Invaders’.

After the success of its grand opening in Canberra last year, Space Invaders has been touring nationally, and now the showcase of Australian street art hits Melbourne for its showing. Curated by Jaklyn Babington (NGA), and with over 40 Australian artists involved and comprising of 150 works, this massive gypsy-esque exhibition was inspired by street arts “transition from the ephemeral to the collectible and from the street to the gallery” since the turn of the Australian graffiti days in the early 1980’s.

“A major strength of Australian street art is its ability to mix pop-culture imagery with political messages. From hard-hitting protest to political satire, clever combinations of sarcasm, mockery and parody, the means to mix art, politics and the street press is now in the hands of a new generation of Australian artists.
Space invaders also explores a paradox that has emerged in Australian street art in which an early flirtation with new technology has given way to a sentimentality for the traditional and the handmade…

This exhibition is supported by the Contemporary Touring Initiative through Visions of Australia, an Australian Government program, and the Visual Arts and Craft Strategy, an initiative of the Australian Government and state and territory governments. The Cultural Partner for Space invaders: Australian . street . stencils . posters . paste-ups . zines . stickers is NewActon/Nishi and Molonglo Group. The exhibition is also supported by Special Media Partner Triple J.”

A very exciting venture indeed, this, sort of, acceptance of street art and graffiti into the realms of the contemporary and elite that the National Gallery of Australia does affiliate is a wonderful and hopeful thing! This is the continuation of a show that we, and many, believe is a step forward in progression, and positive of thinking, when it comes to artistic expression in the modern day. Not to go on a rant here, but maybe this is the kind of event that should be run on the front page of certain ‘propaganda loving’ publications instead of the regurgitated mess that has been gracing us of late!