A R E
27 February –
9 March 2025
Ōtautahi
Street Art
Festival
27 February –
9 March 2025
Ōtautahi
Street Art
Festival
Dr. Bobby Hung is a graffiti writer based in Tamaki Makaurau and known under the name Berst. He has painted graffiti for 20 years and involved in a range of community centred projects with youth and visual arts education in the tertiary sector. His painting practice involves the production of large scale aerosol artworks in public spaces through the exploration of letter based works.
In parallel to art making, Berst holds a PhD in Education from the University of Auckland and has intersecting practices with illustration, oral history and documentation, and curation. His list of accolades includes a second-place award at the international Ono’ U graffiti competition in Tahiti, Guinness World Record for the World’s longest graffiti scroll completed in Dubai, and a recipient of the Unitec- Taipei Artist Village residency programme.
Holly is an artist and designer whose work is primarily based around words and letterforms and combines the influences of graffiti, typography, design and sign writing. She enjoys the conceptual, problem-solving aspect of design and takes a similar approach to the walls she paints — the message is key, words are weapons and public walls are an opportunity to speak to people. While most of her work involves painting on walls, Holly loves exploring a variety of media and is interested in finding ways to make her work light up wherever possible.
Kairau ‘Haser’ Bradley is a Māori artist of Ngāpuhi descent, born and raised in the western suburbs of Auckland, Aotearoa (New Zealand).
After decades of dedication to the urban canvases and 10 years navigating the corporate space of the design world, Haser now occupies a full time art practice. He is one of a handful of artists at the forefront of the graffiti and street art scene in New Zealand; with over 20 years of contribution to the graffiti community, representing and exhibiting at international events throughout Australasia, North America, Asia, Middle East, Europe, and the UK.
Haser’s work reflects a lifetime of exploring the limits and boundaries of the alphabet in the context of graffiti. These studies have manifested into a post graffiti narrative which illustrates a story of his fear of love, a place for his people and hope for a better world. Similar to Haser’s works on the urban canvas, his studio works carry the same signature, saturated colour palette and are represented by bold, graffiti inspired motifs.
Jessie Rawcliffe is a multi-disciplinary artist, designer and muralist based in Ōtautahi
Christchurch, New Zealand. Her paintings are often recognisable for their figurative realism that differs from traditional portraiture as it aims to shift the power dynamic from the viewer to the subject. She pairs contrary visual elements, styles and themes – such as positive and negative space, detail and obscurity, permanence and impermanence to emphasise an ephemeral moment or emotion.
1 . Mural painted in the Canterbury Museum as part of SHIFT Urban Art Takeover.
2023
2 . ‘Kaitiaki’
Mural on a section of the Berlin Wall on display in Ōtautahi Christchurch, NZ
2021
3. Part of ‘Gazer’ series for The Little Street Art Festival.
2023
4. Mural commission for New Zealand Opera.
2021
A versatile creative force, Nick Lowry is an Ōtautahi artist and designer. Lowry’s creative practice extends from graffiti and muralism to abstraction, collage, set design and art production. He has worked on numerous award-winning productions, including feature-length films, music videos and stage plays. His work constantly evolves, referencing and exploring the context of its creation, a result of the artist’s insatiable curiosity and exploratory drive. Maintaining a range of outlets, from public space to the studio, ensures Lowry’s work is never static, the various threads feeding into each other while also diverging into fresh paths. His mural works can be found in Ōtautahi, across Aotearoa and overseas, while his film work extends to wide audiences.
JacobYikes , born Jacob Ryan, is a multi-disciplinary artist based out of Ōtautahi.
He has an extensive background in graffiti and large scale murals and is a member of the prolific ‘Dtr crew’. Jacob has headlined numerous mural festivals throughout Aotearoa including Rise, Spectrum, Paradox, From the ground up, South sea spray and Shift. His large scale works often depict elements of dark humour and characters derived from the artist’s subconscious often placed in surreal-like landscapes. Over the years Jacob’s style has gradually evolved away from his recognisable cartoonish style to a more in depth realistic approach yet still recognisable as ‘Yikes’
As well as having a vast outdoor presence , Jacob also has a studio practice and has exhibited works in solo and group shows for roughly 2 decades
Daniel Carrasco a.k.a Ysek7, was born in Chillán, Chile, and currently resides in Christchurch, New Zealand. At 37 years old, he has built a life defined by creativity and art. From a young age, he showed a passion for design and urban expression, starting to tag at just 14 years old. At 18, he created his first graffiti, embarking on a journey he has continued to this day.
Daniel is a member of the Chilean crew MRK (Mala Raza Krew) and the New Zealand crew FSA (Full Steam Ahead). With a background in graphic design and artistic illustration, he has successfully blended his academic training with his love for street art. He currently works for a painting company, where his experience and skills find a place in both the professional and creative realms. His career reflects a life dedicated to art and the constant pursuit of new forms of visual expression.
Combining impressive technical ability and an undeniable work ethic, Otautahi-based artist Dcypher has established himself as one of Aotearoa’s most respected urban artists. With a career spanning several decades and crossing continents, Dcypher’s versatility and adaptability has seen his work spread across various platforms, from commercial murals to illustration, design and education.
Dcypher has worked with global brands, including Converse, Heineken, Chevrolet and the Los Angeles Dodgers, and painted for festivals and projects in locations including Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Miami’s iconic Wynwood Walls, Dubai, Brazil, and throughout Aotearoa. After a decade living in Los Angeles, where he became part of the legendary CBS crew, Dcypher returned home in 2019, quickly cementing his reputation with landmark murals under his XL Street Murals company, collaborative productions with his DTR crewmates, and the establishment of Dcypher Apparel, an urban clothing line inspired by his love of skate culture.
While Dcypher has constantly expanded his creative practice throughout his career, his crisp, bold and clean illustrative style remains evident, the influence of graffiti and the urban environment clear, an acknowledgment and celebration of his artistic roots.
Meep (Kophie Hulsbosch) is a Ōtautahi-based artist whose work spreads across a diverse range of fields, including graphic design, illustration, painting, graffiti and clothing design. This output is heavily influenced by hip hop culture, low-brow art and the issue of sustainability.
A central intention in her work is the disruption of the status quo, reflected in her graffiti and her clothing brand Future Apparel which is a response to the mass production.
Proudly hailing from the small Eastern Bay of Plenty community of Kawerau, New Zealand, Owen Dippie grew up surrounded by individuals with strong cultural identities. This naturally drove his chosen subject matter from a young age, transpiring in his highly-praised portrait works.
Owen has been painting his large-scale realist portraiture on the streets of New Zealand and New York for over a decade. During Owen’s 2015 trip to New York, he held his first solo exhibition in the United States, and was honoured to have one of his works named as Best Mural 2015 by The Huffington Post, along with producing his first work in downtown Los Angeles. Owen and Erin his wife and manager have owned a successful Mount Maunganui art gallery followed by their gallery on the iconic K’RD, Auckland City. Owen then embarked on extensive overseas travel with the majority based in New York where he completed many large scale murals including his iconic “Art of storytelling” Biggie and Hitchcock mural and collaborative work with Al Diaz of SAMO honouring the late Jean Michel Basquiat.
Exploring the universal language of art. He endeavours to leave his mark on the world, rather than just exist in it.
Meep (Kophie Hulsbosch) is a Christchurch-based artist whose work spreads across a diverse range of fields, including graphic design, illustration, painting, graffiti and clothing design. This output is heavily influenced by hip hop culture, low-brow art and the issue of sustainability. A central intention in her work is the disruption of the status quo, reflected in her graffiti and her clothing brand Future Apparel which is a response to the mass production.
Koryu is a self-taught international artist who has been freelancing full-time since 2019. Koryu is originally from Japan and he has been exposed to street culture for a long time. He also worked in Japan as a professional Graphic Designer for a while. Since 2018 He has traveled to several countries to touch the new culture and trained in street art in Melbourne. These backgrounds lay the foundation for his artistry.
He provides mural work for community spaces, paints the canvas work, and performs as a live painter in the event. His paintings of animals, people, and plants are very delicate, full of originality and vibrant colors.
Realism Artist from the Manawatu specializing in Street Art, Tattoo, and Illustration.
His work predominantly centers around Animal-Realism, and in recent years has begun focusing on Animal portraiture and story-telling.
He created the ‘Stray Stories’ series, painting large scale portraits of stray cats who found their forever-homes in interesting places.
Though most of his murals reside in the north island, in 2021 he painted a collaborative mural with Sean Duffell in the heart of Blenheim, raising awareness for the Marlborough Falcon Conservation Trust (MFCT).
The mural featured a portrait of a critically injured Karearea (NZ Falcon) called Kowhai, who’s story of rescue, revival and release epitomized the importance of the charity’s hard work.
Wongi’s interest in graffiti developed at a young age and for over 25 years he has watched the art form grow from virtual non-existence to a blossoming, pervasive creative influence across New Zealand.
Wongi has played a major role in the transformation of graffiti art in Otautahi Christchurch and is synonymous with the rise of street art muralism in the city. From media coverage to featuring in documentaries and various publications as well as festivals, his murals have served to transform hundreds of walls throughout the city and beyond.
Born in 1982, Elliot Francis Stewart is the third youngest of nine children and grew up in the Eastern Auckland suburb of Pakuranga. He spent his childhood engrossed in comic books and creating elaborately rendered drawings of galleon’s and scenes of war.
In 1996 his family relocated to the inner city neighbourhood of Grey Lynn and he attended the now defunct Auckland Metropolitan College, an alternative school where he met his tight-knit crew of friends who became known as the RFC (Rat Fink Club) crew.
Initially garnering a reputation for his often offbeat cartoon-based graffiti, Elliot became part of TMD (The Most Dedicated) in 2001 and quickly established himself as the foremost talent in character based work in aerosol. Furthermore his early shows at The Gully Lounge in St.Kevin’s Arcade and Disrupt Gallery, allowed him to showcase elaborate and influential illustrative works often created on found objects in common house paint and ballpoint pen.
Christchurch graffiti art legend Nick “Ikarus” Tam is one of the founding members of the city’s foremost graffiti art collective the DTR Crew. Ikarus lives and breathes the genre and has accumulated an almost encyclopedic knowledge of graffiti art. This knowledge, combined with his flawless clean-line style, makes him one of the city’s most respected artists. When Ikarus is not graffiti lettering, his artistic style leans more towards installation and sculpture work, exploring the pressures of operating on the fringes of society. The empathy within Ikarus’ art is also reflected in his youth work. He was instrumental in Christchurch’s Project Legit before it lost its home in the 2011 earthquake, working to channel the artistic expression of inner-city kids—many of whom were referred to the program by the Youth Justice Department. More recently, Ikarus has played a crucial role in fine-tuning the design and, alongside the rest of the DTR Crew, painting the Riverside Market Mural. The mural itself has quickly become a widely loved Christchurch landmark.
Kell Sunshine is a lettering artist, muralist, & illustrator from New Zealand, with a big love for Mother Earth
Kell’s creative style is characterised by bright fresh colour palettes and curvaceous forms, meticulously hand crafted lettering, and illustrative elements of flora and fauna. Her work often serves as a platform to promote the conservation of our natural environment.
Kell has been a feature artist in street art festivals throughout NZ and the world. She has spoken at a handful of conferences including Typism on the Gold Coast, 2018. Kell was the curator of the 2019 activation of Sea Walls – Artists for Oceans Tairāwhiti NZ, bringing 20 fresh murals to the town of Gisborne from renown international artists.
Kell does not engage in conversation before consuming coffee in the mornings but is henceforth a social creature. Things that make her happy include: Her pup, sunshine, seedlings, the sound of tropical rain, scuba diving, and the thought of being able to travel again.
Meep (Kophie Hulsbosch) is a Christchurch-based artist whose work spreads across a diverse range of fields, including graphic design, illustration, painting, graffiti and clothing design. This output is heavily influenced by hip hop culture, low-brow art and the issue of sustainability. A central intention in her work is the disruption of the status quo, reflected in her graffiti and her clothing brand Future Apparel which is a response to the mass production.
Koryu is a self-taught international artist who has been freelancing full-time since 2019. Koryu is originally from Japan and he has been exposed to street culture for a long time. He also worked in Japan as a professional Graphic Designer for a while. Since 2018 He has traveled to several countries to touch the new culture and trained in street art in Melbourne. These backgrounds lay the foundation for his artistry.
He provides mural work for community spaces, paints the canvas work, and performs as a live painter in the event. His paintings of animals, people, and plants are very delicate, full of originality and vibrant colors.
Realism Artist from the Manawatu specializing in Street Art, Tattoo, and Illustration.
His work predominantly centers around Animal-Realism, and in recent years has begun focusing on Animal portraiture and story-telling.
He created the ‘Stray Stories’ series, painting large scale portraits of stray cats who found their forever-homes in interesting places.
Though most of his murals reside in the north island, in 2021 he painted a collaborative mural with Sean Duffell in the heart of Blenheim, raising awareness for the Marlborough Falcon Conservation Trust (MFCT).
The mural featured a portrait of a critically injured Karearea (NZ Falcon) called Kowhai, who’s story of rescue, revival and release epitomized the importance of the charity’s hard work.
Wongi’s interest in graffiti developed at a young age and for over 25 years he has watched the art form grow from virtual non-existence to a blossoming, pervasive creative influence across New Zealand.
Wongi has played a major role in the transformation of graffiti art in Otautahi Christchurch and is synonymous with the rise of street art muralism in the city. From media coverage to featuring in documentaries and various publications as well as festivals, his murals have served to transform hundreds of walls throughout the city and beyond.