Adelaide Street Art Tour
Let me take you on a street art tour of Prospect and the Adelaide CBD!
I’ve just completed this video, working with Stephen Ludwig from Ludwig Film and the City of Prospect to create a street art tour resource.
South Australia is thriving with public art, both legal and illegal. I’ve run loads of street art walking tours and I wanted to provide teachers with a resource for their classrooms when excursions aren’t always possible.
I want to say a very big thank you to City of Prospect for funding this project and supporting my vision. Public Art Officer, Ed James and the team were eager to make this happen when I proposed the concept. Also thank you to Darlene McDonald, a very dear friend who assisted on the day with the filming and so much more.
Filming this project was loads of fun! It was a wintery day, but the sun came out and I got to talk about my favourite topic all day with friends.
Film still by Ludwig Film
What is street art?
Street art is artwork that is installed in a public space, usually outside and accessible to the public. It can be installed with permission or without. Sometimes it’s on trains, buildings, signs, fences, bins and trucks. There are many forms of street art including murals, paste ups, stickers, tags, throw ups, mosaics, stencils and so much more. It can be made from any material, it’s really about using the city as your canvas.
Film still by Ludwig Film
Lisa King - Film still by Ludwig Film
What’s the difference between Street Art and work in galleries?
I’m an absolute art lover, doesn’t matter if it’s inside a gallery or on the streets, I want to see it. I’m interested in all forms, from sculpture, to drawings, murals and stencils. What I love about street art is its temporal nature, not knowing when or if it will be removed or damaged. Compared to work in a gallery that is carefully stored when the exhibition is over and displayed elsewhere. Work in a gallery is protected from the weather with controlled lighting, temperatures, frames, security. Your experience of work in a gallery and street is very different.
Street art has the ability to surprise, when you least expect, you can turn a corner on the way to work and see a huge mural covering the side of a building. So you get that accidental experience of art.
When you go to a gallery it’s very planned, curated and you have an expectation of what you will see. Of course, both experiences can be powerful, but as an artist, you have to consider how the audience will experience your work, how they will interact with it. For a mural, the public can touch the surface, lean against it or completely ignore it.
So how are you going to hold their attention and make a plain surface into something that they admire or perhaps, be challenged by?
Film still by Ludwig Film
What street artists inspire Leah Grant?
Some of the street artists that I admire are include Jack Fran, Claire Foxton, Vans the Omega, Jasmine Crisp, Jimmy C, Rone and Lisa King.
I recently collaborated on a mural with Jack Fran for an event in Prospect. This was such a great experience to brainstorm ideals of our different styles and how we could transform a laneway. Being able to paint together and just the conversations you have about being an artist and simple things like what materials Jack uses, was so valuable to me.
Some artists hold their knowledge really close to their chest, I think that’s fair enough, they’ve worked really hard. I’m very grateful to the artists that have answered my questions, given me feedback and encouraged me.
Joel Van Moore who is known as Vans the Omega is seen as the Father of Adelaide Street Art. He is very generous, supportive and beyond talented in his own work and innovation.
I’m also inspired by emerging artists and students. I learn so much through teaching and sharing what I’m doing. But also through watching students draw and listening to them approach a problem.
Mural Collaboration Leah Grant and Jack Fran - Film still by Ludwig Film
Jack Fran - Film still by Ludwig Film
Joel Van Moore (aka Vans the Omega) - Film still by Ludwig Film
Students painting at Cardijn College- Film still by Ludwig Film
What is the purpose of Street Art?
Street Art was born out of a need for artists to have a voice, express their ideas and experiment. It should challenge the audience. Surprise them. Delight them. It’s phenomenal to think that back when I was in high school, graffiti was considered disgraceful, ugly and a menace. And now, it’s not getting removed by council, it’s been funded by council!
Society has seen the value that it brings, for culture to the area, but also a landmark and has the power to make the area safer.
Colour on a wall, can actually impact the way people behave in a space. To me, that is incredible.
Iconic murals in Prospect and the Adelaide CBD:
I painted a mural on the corner of Prospect Road and Myrtle Street for the City of Prospect, with the expectation that it was going to be painted over within the week of the event. That gave me freedom to try a new style for me, it was the first mural I experimented with pattern. The idea came from a sketch of a peacock. The response to this mural was very positive and it’s now been over 5 years and the mural is still here!
Leah Grant - Myrtle Street, Prospect - Film still by Ludwig Film
At the same community event, Sarah Boese, was painting this mural around the corner. I admire her style and ability to paint anything! She is a talented illustrator with ideas that tell a story and draw the audience in.
Sarah Boese - Film still by Ludwig Film
Unique to Prospect is Kab101 Lane, that has been named after the local artist Scott Kabuki (aka Kab101) who has looked after this space for years. He paints here regularly and the business and homes nearby are grateful for what he brings to this space.
Kab101 Lane - Film still by Ludwig Film
Peter Drew’s illegal paste ups are a much loved addition to the city. You can spot them all over all around. His attention to detail in how he places these posters is clearly thought through and I admire his message and the conversations his work brings.
Peter Drew- Film still by Ludwig Film
Jasmine Crisp’s work is jaw dropping! She creates portraits that hold symbolism and every time I look at her work, I’m drawn into the detail and see something new. There is so much emotion in her work and she is insanely talented with her own unique style.
Jasmine Crisp - Film still by Ludwig Film
What’s the difference between street art and graffiti?
The difference between street art and graffiti is based on your opinion really. I think sometimes people refer to the illegal forms of graffiti and it can have a negative connotation with the word, that it is “graffiti” and damaging property. I personally am interested in all forms of street art, so I don’t really differentiate between the two terms.
Film still by Ludwig Film
What is the meaning behind Leah’s ‘Happiness Is’ mural in the Adelaide CBD?
I was looking for inspiration for this project and a 1960s Women’s Weekly magazine with an advertisement of a women holding a sign “Happiness is a flat tummy”. She was wearing a corset and selling underwear, smiling and proclaiming that happiness comes from your image.
I was quite shocked by this but also realised that we are still marketing products the same way. In fact happiness is what we seek and are constantly told that we can purchase it. So I’ve taken this statement and crossed out some of the words.
I know that the audience might interpret this that “Leah Grant” thinks that happiness is from a thin figure, but what’s more important than the opinion of others, is the message that art can have. And I know that many people have responded to this artwork and begun to question where happiness is found and where they are seeking it. That’s where the message goes beyond the artist as it’s intended.
Leah Grant - 'Happiness Is' - Film still by Ludwig Film
Film still by Ludwig Film
Film still by Ludwig Film
There are so many murals to see in Adelaide, go out and explore. It is ever evolving.
Film still by Ludwig Film
