At the end of the decade street art has become mainstream with “Space Invaders”, a major exhibition at the Australian National Gallery Canberra; the exhibition was even featured on ABC Kids TV. This doesn’t mean that street art is over, except for people who were only into it for a snobbish feeling of underground exclusivity; street art will continue, more walls will become available (outside and inside art galleries) and more people will participate. The street will still operate as a temporary autonomous zone for artists who want to show an image to the public.
Kangaroo/Koala augmented soft toy in lane.
Melbourne street art is now moving in some strange directions: street sculpture, yarn bombing and guerrilla gardening are now all in evidence on the streets. This may, in part, be due to a few more women engaging in the once male dominated street art scene. It may also be that people are more aware of street art as an option for exhibiting their own creative ideas.
Hanging garden in lane.
In 2010 the Melbourne Stencil Festival transformed itself into a real street and urban art festival – Sweet Streets. For 6 years the festival was little more than an exhibition with a few other events – this year there were several exhibitions and more events than I can remember. Following this success I decided that it would be my last year on the committee; after being involved with the festival for three years it is time for me to do something different.
Part of the Amnesty Int. wall painted during Sweet Streets
It was a bad year for Banksy stencil rats in Melbourne – Melbourne City Council buffed the one in Hosier Lane and another one was stolen from the South Melbourne home of artist and underwear designer Mitch Dowd. A few of Banksy’s rats do survive in Melbourne, there are a few along Brunswick St. Fitzroy. Brunswick St was a Banksy rat run spray mission. The paint around these stencils is old and faded – the shops have been careful not to paint over these rats. The steady attrition of Banksy’s work in Melbourne is not surprising as he sprayed the stencils in 2003.
A surviving now threatened Banksy rat in Fitzroy
Black Mark 
December 9th, 2010 at 2:27 PM
flanigan and guildford lanes have some particularly good examples of “guerrilla gardening”, toys, and yarn at the moment.
there is a particularily effective use of balls of yarn on a bluestone building where guildford meets sutherland st.
December 9th, 2010 at 5:15 PM
Yes, Flanigan and Guildford has become a strange street art attractor.
December 11th, 2010 at 9:06 AM
Thanks for sharing this.
December 11th, 2010 at 1:43 PM
Your welcome – good to know that your enjoying my blog in Moab, Utah. Keep printing those bed sheets.