An impressive collection of street art works will be on display at the Erina Centre at Erina Fair until December 19, opening daily from 9am-4pm.
The Lost Pieces exhibition is a celebration of youth culture, a retrospective presented by The Arcade Gallery and supported by Central Coast Council and Erina Rotary Club as a fundraiser for Rotarian Youth Service Month.
For two decades the basketball court wall at Green Point was a highly utilised legal space for graffiti artists to perform, hone and display their aerosol painting and design skills.
The Green Point legal wall began in 2002 as a youth arts project by Gosford City Council youth services.
The project aimed to reduce illegal graffiti tagging in the area though the provision of a legal space where graffiti artists could take their time to develop and finesse their skills in aerosol painting to produce large, intricately designed pieces of work without the concern of being arrested for illegal activity.
Green Point legal wall was unique for its longevity and the high quality of the pieces (artworks) that were created there.
Graffiti artists travelled from Newcastle and Sydney to join the locals in the opportunity to create pieces legally, and therefor able to take their time to paint works displaying skill, complexity, and talented designs.
One local artist known as DYNE used the Green Point wall and was a key part of establishing the graffiti culture on the Central Coast.
DYNE proceeded to make graffiti art his vocation and became well known for his work in Sydney and throughout the world.
The images in the exhibition are a documentation on the use of the legal wall during its existence from 2002 to 2021.
They are intended to acknowledge the artists that used the space, their amazing skills and creativity, as well as the providence of Council staff in their commitment to ensuring equitable space for creative expression in public spaces.
In 2021 the area was redeveloped as a larger recreation area, and the legal graffiti wall was demolished.
Unframed prints will be on sale in four sizes, with proceeds raised to fund the Erina Rotary youth arts exhibition of local high school students in 2023.
Central Coast Council’s Graffiti Management Strategy has maintained the inclusion of designated legal graffiti walls in suitable public spaces.
Contact council to find out the locations of these places and spaces by emailing ask@centralcoast.nsw.gov.au or calling 1300 463 954.
Source:
Media release, Nov 14
Erina Rotary Club