Vexta

Vexta is a prominent Melbourne street artist cite news |url = http://www.theage.com.au/news/arts/our-colourful-underbelly/2005/12/03/1133422148230.html?page=fullpage | title = Our colourful underbelly |publilsher=The Age |date=2005-12-05 |accessdate=2007-12-19] . She is especially notable because she is a female operating in a male-dominated arena [cite news |url = http://www.smh.com.au/news/arts/the-innerwests-most-vivid-outdoor-gallery/2007/09/05/1188783314333.html?page=3 | title = A bold, edgy, art-rendering display |publisher=Sydney Morning Herald |date=2007-09-06 |accessdate=2007-12-19] . Her work is mostly human portraiture. Vexta requests that name not be published.

Vexta moved to Melbourne from Sydney and saw many examples of Stencil art by other artists namely Dlux, Optic, Sync, and Ha-Ha. She was inspired by their art and has been cutting and spraying stencils since 2003 cite book |last=Smallman & Nyman |title=Stencil Graffiti Capital: Melbourne |publisher=Mark Batty Publisher |origyear=2005 |url=http://www.stencilgraffiticapital.com |accessdate=2007-12-19] .

Some of her work has been purchased by the National Gallery of Australia, to appear in an exhibition in late 2008 [cite news |url = http://www.theage.com.au/news/entertainment/drawing-a-line/2007/05/08/1178390295197.html |title = Stencil art world draws the line |publisher=The Age |date=2007-05-09 |accessdate=2007-12-19] . She has also completed commissioned pieces and worked with a landscape design company cite book |last=Dew |title=Uncommissioned Art: An A to Z of Australian Graffiti |publisher=The Meigunyah Press |origyear=2007 |url=http://www.mup.unimelb.edu.au/catalogue/0-522-85375-7.html |accessdate=2007-12-19] .

Motivation

Vexta's motivation for stencil art is both artistic and socio-political. She has been documented as saying:

"I don't want to live in a city that's really bland and covered in grey and brown and advertising. I never said it was OK to put a billboard on the top of Brunswick Street, so who's to say that I can't put up a small A4 size image in a back laneway?" cite news |url = http://www.theage.com.au/news/arts/our-colourful-underbelly/2005/12/03/1133422148230.html?page=fullpage | title = Our colourful underbelly |publisher=The Age |date=2005-12-05 |accessdate=2007-12-19] .

Her main aim in her work is to connect with the public on an emotional level:

"I want to find and capture what it is that makes us human, the soul of the individual that is at once personal but at the same time deeply universal." .

Techniques

Vexta has a background in screen printing . Many of Vexta's pieces are developed from photographs taken of her friends. An example of this is Diving Woman at St Kilda Junction, or Somnolent, featuring Joelistics from Tzu.

Mediums she uses include acrylic and enamel paint on board, aluminiumcite web |url= http://www.dickersongallery.com.au/artists/Stencil%20Artists/Stencil%20Artists.htm |title = Kidz These Dayz |date=2005-July] and found pieces. She also posts paste-ups and stickers.

Exhibitions

* Spray & Wipe, August 2005 [cite web |url=http://sprayandwipe.resolvedesign.com |title = Spray and Wipe street art exhibition |date=2005-August]
* Mays Lane, September 2005 [http://graphicartmount.com.au/mays/Image/MAYSpanelartweb/006_vexta_panel.jpg]
* Kidz These Days, July 2006 with Ha-Ha and Psalm cite web |url= http://www.dickersongallery.com.au/artists/Stencil%20Artists/Stencil%20Artists.htm |title = Kidz These Dayz |date=2005-July |accessdate=2007-12-19]
* Curvy 4 Live Collaboration, May 2007 [cite web |url=http://until-never.blogspot.com/2007/04/curvy-4-and-fafi.html |title = Until Never: Curvy4 and Fafi!! |date=2007-April |accessdate=2007-12-19]
* Urban Skins, August 2007 [cite web |url=http://www.thuringowa.qld.gov.au/news/index?media_id=1202 |title = Youth bands and skaters celebrate art |date=2007-08-02 |accessdate=2007-12-19]
* Mays Lane, November 2007 with Ha-Ha and MiniGraff [ [http://graphicartmount.com.au/mays/art.html art ] ]

See also

* List of street artists
* Types of graffiti
* List of graffiti artists
* Spray paint art

References

Further reading

*

*cite book | title = Stencil graffiti capital : Melbourne | author = Jake Smallman | coauthors = Carl Nyman | location = New York | publisher = Mark Batty Publisher | year = 2005 | isbn = 0976224534

*cite book | title = The May's Retrospective : May Lane Street Art 2005-2006 | author = Bec Dean | coauthors = Hana Shimada | location = Sydney | publisher = Graphic Art Mount | year = 2006 | isbn = 9780646464299
* [http://www.rashfilm.com/index.html "Rash - Scratch it and it Spreads"] , 2006. Documentary. TV, ABC (Australia), 2006. April 23. 14:00hrs
* [http://stencilrevolution.com/photopost/showgallery.php?cat=500&ppuser=102526 Stencil Revolution Member Gallery.] (Features photos of works exhibited.)

External links

* [http://www.vexta.com.au Vexta's website]
* [http://www.myspace.com/vextavexta Vexta's myspace]
* [http://www.stencilgraffiticapital.com Melbourne: Stencil Graffiti Capital]