Graffiato breaks the walls of art snobbism! When I made Taupo our base for the short week in New Zealand, little did I know that I would fall in love with its city walls!
The object of my affection? Graffiato – Taupo’s Street Art Festival, kicked off on 20 October, a mere 2 weeks before we got there. A shame I didn’t get to see the artists in action, but the art they left behind is there to stay!
If you’re in Taupo, I seriously recommend a walk around the city center, to properly take in the artistic vibes.
Graffiato is held annually during Labour Weekend around the Taupo Town Centre. At its 7th edition already, Graffiato gathers artists from across the country, in a grand slam of mural art display.
The 2017 theme of the event was ‘Exquisite Corpse’.
A special note about this particular festival is the fact that it has a strong female lineup; street art is typically male-dominated – but not on Taupo’s walls.
Art for the People
For years, graffiti art has been on the fence separating vandalism and *conventional* art. But street artists are immensely talented and creative, producing beautiful, provocative and long-standing art. And they are more and more starting to be acknowledged.
This relatively new kind of art has developed at different pace around the world, with some locations richer than others.
Los Angeles and Buenos Aires come as obvious examples of thriving street art. But you would not expect the quaint city of Taupo to be a budding location in street art, would you?
Graffiato in Taupo is only seven years old but already has over 150 mural art displays on its streets – and they’re here to stay.
We’re truly looking at the art of the future here. Here’s a very interesting article on how AR will be the newest trend in Graffiti street art
Graffiato: Art Speaks for Itself
Festivals of this kind have apparently become popular across New Zealand for a few years now. What makes Taupo’s Graffiato Festival special is the fact that the 100+ pieces created over the years put together the most comprehensive picture of New Zealand street artists.
But Art doesn’t need a spokesperson.
So I’ll let you follow the art trail here and have a conversation, through my humble pictures of Taupo’s #streetart.
