by ArtsHub
The South Melbourne Market is seeking submissions from street artists for their ‘Off the Wall’ competition. Successful applicants will be commissioned to paint one of the roller doors at the Coventry and Cecil Street area of the Market.
Melbourne has long been known for its interesting street art which are living, breathing galleries that interchangeably decorate the grimy walls of some of the city’s now notable laneways. Places that used to be littered with junk are now littered with tourists trying to get a peek at the latest works by up-and-coming street art practitioners.
Through the ‘Off the Wall’ competition, the South Melbourne Market is now getting in on the action. Street artists, graffitists, neo-expressionists and industrial designers have been commissioned to create works that highlight the Market’s character as well as its longstanding relationship to the South Melbourne community.
The works are aimed to help strengthen the Market as a centre for the arts, community and education while at the same time looking to attract a younger, artistic and creative group of people who live and work in the local area.
The art also serves as an excellent way of hiding some of the less favourable features of the market, such as electrical cupboards.
The spaces that the winning artists will be invited to re-decorate are on a major thoroughfare to and from the light rail and the high density of foot traffic will offer valuable exposure.
‘Off the Wall’ are asking for submissions that draw on the theme Melbourne’s Markets vs the Major Supermarkets Duopoly and artists can work with brush, aerosol or stencil painting – so longs as they employ a media that is weather and wash resistant.
The commissions will offer a generous cash prize and will be judged by a panel of judges that includes local curators Claire Green (Greenwood gallery) and Tracey McIrvine (Gasworks Park Art).
The works will be produced during the South Melbourne Night Market in October-November.
‘Off the Wall’ application form and details of how to apply are available here.
Applications close 31 August 2011.
