Street Art On show At Nelson Festival

A six by three metre Banksy image, a car painted like a zebra, twenty urban art works, interactive installations, a scrawl wall and a viewing lounge…it’s all part of Oi You! a street art show that’s the newest addition to the Nelson Arts Festival.

The festival kicks off today and the weekend (Oct 16 & 17) will be frantic with ‘artists in action’ down at Founders Heritage Park where the heritage streetscape will get a New York look as the urban art goes up

New Nelsonian, urban art specialist and avid Banksy fan, George Shaw, is the impetus behind Oi You! Over the last few months he’s been out and about with his offsider, Nelson painter Nic Foster, scrounging up materials and explaining the concept to colleges.

“Kids are right into urban art – teachers are using artists like Banksy to inspire their art classes,” he says. “We’ve tapped into this and had 70 responses to our invitation to students and adults to design their own urban art panel.”

The local pine plant donated sheets of MDF and over the weekend the 20 artists selected by NZ’s foremost street art collective, The Cut Collective, for the show will be transposing the work from their original designs onto the big boards.

George says there are amazing works from Nelson artists as well as some from Wellington, Christchurch and one from a Dubai artist currently living in Brazil!

“They have really captured the street art concept,” he says. “The works range from urban cool to social comment to Banksyesque juxtapositions.”

On Saturday 23 Oct at 6 – 8pm the urban art works will be auctioned off. Te Radar is the auctioneer, so expect the fun to fly!

Oi You, Founders Heritage Park, Nelson, October 16-25, www.streetart.conz

The Nelson Arts Festival officially opens on Friday October 15 with the Nelson Masked Parade. The festival, now in its 16th year is presented by the Nelson City Council as a celebration for locals and an attraction for visitors

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