Uncommissioned Art PB

An A-Z of Australian Graffiti

Christine Dew

Uncommissioned Art: An A-Z of Australian Graffiti, a spectacularly illustrated volume, offers new ways to look at street art and explores its cultural and aesthetic impact.

Opinion

'This ambitious survey of contemporary Australian graffiti documents, through an abundance of excellent photographs and sharp informative text, the vibrancy of this illegal street culture. Like all good books about art, Uncommissioned Art helps us better understand what is right in front of our eyes.'
The Age, 13/10/2007

'Though still often perceived as a crime rather than art there is no denying that graffiti is gaining a lot of attention at the moment. Yet given the transient nature of street art how can we tell future generations about these underground talents if their work disappears forever under a new coat of paint or cleaner's brush? It is very lucky for us that Christine Drew has been documenting Australia's urban art so that while it may vanish, it won't be forgotten.'
Desktop, October 2007

About this Title

On the streets of Australian cities there are conversations occurring in paint in public spaces. Graffiti, stencil and street art are immediate and ephemeral. Yet the same media are gaining worldwide currency, with many art galleries collecting and showing these works.

Uncommissioned Art, beautifully illustrated with images from Australia's world-renowned graffiti and street art scene, includes interviews with some of this country's most important artists and discusses the evolution and politics of this growing artform.

Uncommissioned Art: An A-Z of Australian Graffiti offers new ways to look at graffiti and street art and explores its cultural and aesthetic impact.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements
Foreword
A = Art cultures
B = Beautiful
C = City
D = Drip (Sorry about the)
E = Ephemeral
F = Flow
G = Gay (Ethan is)
H = Hieroglyph
I = I was here
J = Jamming
K = Kings
L = Legal
M = Memorial
N = Nom de plume: not in the name of the father
O = Old
P = Play
Q = Queens
R = Romantic
S = Snap!
T = Train
U = Unguessed byways
V = Virtual conversations
W = Wall
X = Cross out
Y = Yuppie go home
Z = Zero tolerance

About the Author

Chris Dew is a writer, researcher and photographer interested in landscape, memory and place. Formerly a senior lecturer in the History Program at La Trobe University, she currently holds an arts residency on the Southern Moreton Bay Islands in Queensland. Her photographs have been exhibited in Melbourne's Counihan Gallery and in many print publications. She advises local government and community organisations on graffiti-related matters.