THE SEARCH FOR THE BIN CHICKENS

I’d done nothing much in the morning, couldn’t think what to do with the afternoon.  Then it clicked, there’s street art you haven’t seen yet.  Previously, I’d stumbled across them while house sitting at Eveleigh.  Hundreds even.  This time I decided to look them up first.

That’s when I found Scott Marsh.  Well, actually, I’d already found him before; I just didn’t know it at the time.  Randomly wandering the streets of inner Sydney suburbs I’d stumbled across a couple of his legendary pieces.  The political ones.  The ones that excite interest, like Tony Abbott beside Tony Abbott in a wedding dress on his unique imagined wedding day.  I loved it.

However, Scott is seriously talented, having been a finalist in both the Moran Art Prize and the Archibald.  He’s come a long way since tagging Sydney trains when he was twelve.  He’s one of many who haunt the back alleys of suburbs like Newtown (especially Newtown), Marrickville, Erskineville and Enmore.  Much more quality than you’ll see at the Contemporary Gallery at Circular Quay.

He also painted a Kanye loves Kanye mural which was complained about and he claims he was paid $100,000 to obliterate it.  Hmmm, who knows?

I wrote down a couple of other possibilities as well, but was pleased I’d already viewed half of the works previously. 

THE BIN CHICKENS

The goal was an obscure lane called Teggs at Chippendale this time.  The ibis, aka rubbish renegades, trash turkey or smelly flamingos.  Here they were splattered all over the side of a pub wall.  Only problem I had was getting there.  You see, that’s one of the things about street art, some are in obscure locations totally unsuited to vehicular traffic.  That’s where the pushie comes in handy.

THE THE RIGHT OF THE BIN CHICKENS

Somehow, Miss Direction decides that part of the best way to get there is to travel 4 kms along Parramatta Road.  On a pushie??? Excuse me.  I drift along the pavement and duck into a couple of back streets to avoid that insanity.

CLEANING UP

Teggs is a narrow way but the wall space is large and littered with Scott’s handiwork.  It doesn’t disappoint.  I cop a bonus with an employee cleaning the glass doorway then it’s time to head over Newtown way, sort of.  Somehow I find myself in the outskirts of Redfern, then through Eveleigh, Marrickville and who knows where, riding through streets I had come to know just 12 months ago.

DOC MARTENS AND MY BIKE

Eventually I wind into Church Street where there’s a Doc Marten mural one side and an unnamed work on the pub opposite by Fintan Magee and Numskull which features two females at extreme ends of and old style communication device of two tin cans joined by a piece of string.

HELLO, ANYONE THERE?

Not far away in Lennox Street there’s an IGA carpark.  It’s a treasure trove of works and my favourite is Perfect Match by Alex Lahors but The Ox King and The Emperors Daughter will also command your attention, and that’s just a couple of them.

PERFECT MATCH

In every second back street around Newtown you’ll find works, but it’s important to remember that street art is a fluid situation.  What you saw last time may be replaced with a new work or simply painted over.

A HOWL-ER OF AN IMAGE

My favourites are the political ones, such as the painting of two blacks by Helen Proctor in Lennox Street with the script “I SAW THE BEST MINDS OF MY GENERATION DESTROYED BY MADNESS, STARVING HYSTERICAL NAKED, DRAGGING THEMSELVES THROUGH THE NEGRO STREETS AT DAWN LOOKING FOR AN ANGRY FIX”, an extract from the famous poem “Howl” written by the noted poet Allen Ginsberg, who vigorously opposed capitalism and conformity in the U.S.A.

Somewhere on Holt Street I view the whale with skeleton and decide to head home.  By the time I get back I’ll have spent around 4 hours exploring.  It’s enough for one day.

BAD MAGPIES ART IS EVERYWHERE

ONE OF MY FAVOURITES IN AN OBSCURE BACK STREET