We're supporting local art From Ground Up

We're taking the art on our streets indoors. From 16 December to the end of February, the Carlisle Arts Space at the St Kilda Town Hall will host an exhibition on graffiti culture. The collection presents original artwork showcasing recent artwork throughout our City depicting a full A to Z alphabet. Join us at our opening night on Friday 16 December from 6 pm. Attendance is free but bookings are limited.

With support from the Victorian Government through the Urban Canvas project, Port Phillip Council recently commissioned a series of graffiti art murals with an alphabetical theme to deter illegal graffiti while, bringing colour to public spaces. From the Ground Up saw 26 Melbourne artists each create a mural across Port Phillip, representing a letter of their own name.

The brief was simple - let your imagination run wild, with the works often taking an abstract interpretation of the theme. The artworks provide a unique insight into the processes used by the artists and the huge variety of distinct stylistic solutions generated when working with something as simple as a single letter.

Project curator and lead artist, Ling, praised Council for positively promoting and celebrating graffiti art.

"The word graffiti generally has negative connotations. This project is extremely important as it focuses on the art form of graffiti," he said.

"Each mural is broken down into something as simple as the letter A or B, which makes it far more welcoming to someone who might look at graffiti and say they can't read it or don't understand it."

Ling's letter L mural (pictured above) is on a pillar of an onramp to the Westgate Freeway in Madden Street, Southbank.

From The Ground Up is a rare opportunity to experience a range of varied artistic styles. The exhibition is curated by Ling with Artworks by Awes, Bailer, Resume, Dvate, Ethics, Frost, Duke, Shem, Sigs, Jors, Kano, Ling, Mayo, Nost, 2Flash, Porno, Skr3am, Renob, Sabeth, Treo, Ulcer, Fans, Akuze, Prix, Nasty and Puzle.

Here's a sample of some of the artworks. Come down to Carlise Street Arts Space to see the rest.