RED BULL WRECKERS YARD

Depending on how you look at it, Graffiti art (or tagging as its detractors usually label it) can be one of the best or worst forms of modern artistic expression out. And while the basic skill-level name tags you often see on the street can admittedly be pretty god damn meh, at the other end of the spectrum, the medium has been responsible for some pretty awesome contemporary artwork.

Wellington, whether you realise it or not has a pretty well developed Graffiti art scene. In fact, the whole country punches above its weight in this realm. I.E. We have teams of artists here who have taken out world championship level titles in Graffiti art. In celebration of the level of local talent, Red Bull has organised a series of events called Red Bull Wreckers Yard.

Running over two events (one in Wellington and one in Auckland), at each showcase, eight local graffiti artists will be armed with a blank canvas and cans of spray paint. With their tools at hand, the artists will compete in a series art-by-the-clock rounds focused around abstract themes like fear, greed or nature. Additionally, as the rounds progress, the artists will be given progressively smaller canvas’, a restriction which will push the boundaries of creativity as the artists compete to find finalists with both the artistic interpretation ability and technical speed needed to be a Red Bull Wreckers Yard champion.

After the events are completed, the top artists will travel to Melbourne to compete in the Trans-Tasman finals, from which the ultimate winner will emerge.

The Wellington round is going down this Saturday from 7pm at Bar Bodega. Entry is free, so if you want to see locals BMD, Drypnz, Editor, GHSTIE, Juse 1, Kerb, Kiran X and Yelz do their thing, roll on past for a slightly different evening of entertainment.