AUSTRALIA'S LARGEST STREET ART FESTIVAL RETURNS TO BRISBANE FOR 2022 WITH AN EPIC LINE-UP OF LIVE MURALS, ART EVENTS & WORKSHOPS.
Brisbane  Street Art Festival (BSAF) has been pioneering Australia's street art  festival movement year after year and will be returning May 7-22 with  its largest program yet, presenting 50 live public murals and  installations, a plethora of art events, and an interactive all-ages  workshop program for the public.
International  artists are back for the first time since 2019, adding their spice of  culture to Brisbane's concrete jungle during the two-week festival.  Street art masters will travel from the USA, Spain, Russia, Thailand,  Indonesia and New Zealand to be a part of the event. They will join  influential Australian and Indigenous players such as Sofles, Lisa King,  and Rachael Sarra who will take this year's festival to the next level.
"Over  the past 7 years, Brisbane Street Art Festival has contributed to  placing Brisbane as one of the world's most significant street art  cities, attracting International Artists such as Miss Birdy, Iñigo  Sesma and Fivust to paint on our walls for 2022. International  relationships allow us to share Brisbane with the world, as well as  bring overseas art exhibitions and opportunities to the city", says  Lincoln Savage, Festival Director.
Minister  Fletcher adds, "The Morrison Government is pleased to provide the  Brisbane Street Art Festival with $155,000 in funding under our RISE  Fund, supporting 60 jobs and stimulating the resurgence of Queensland's  arts sector."
 
 
"As  much of the state recovers from COVID-19 and devastating floods, this  festival will provide locals with a way to celebrate the vibrant and  diverse arts and cultural experiences South East Queensland has to  offer, whilst boosting local tourism and hospitality."
BSAF will introduce Superordinary Northshore as  the central hub for the 2022 festival. The festival's large-scale  warehouse Head Quarters is a grandiose space that will host a myriad of  the program's finest art events and will sit amongst 12 mural  activations from the festival schedule. Take a sneak peek at Superordinary Northshore during BSAF 2022, starting with the BSAF Opening Party on May 7.
"The  Northshore Brisbane precinct is a perfect match for showcasing large  scale significant artworks; the expansive waterfront, oversized  buildings and immersive activations create a unique canvas for the  immersive experiences that we curate and promote here. Nurturing an arts  and creative community here is important and we hope the Brisbane  Street Art Festival is  another reason for locals and visitors to experience this exciting and  emerging precinct of our river city.", said Economic Development  Queensland, Project Director, Michael Bucknell.
Outside  of Northshore Brisbane, the live mural sites will spread across iconic  locations in the city - Howard Smith Wharves, Queen St Mall, RNA  Showgrounds, The Valley Mall, and Southbank to name a few.
The Artists aren't the festivals only import this year, BSAF will host HKwall's Tools of the Trade exhibition  straight from the hustle and bustle of Hong Kong. The exhibition frames  the history of street art and graffiti through the lens of the tools  that artists use to create their work. It highlights the ingenuity and  the inventiveness of the artists by focusing on the techniques and tools  that allowed them to produce their best works before commercial  companies created products just for artists.
Tools of the Trade is  a snapshot of the calibre of events, exhibitions and artist talks BSAF  will host for 2022. This includes collaborations with Brisbane's Botanica- Contemporary Art Outside which sees a 90-minute Scribble Slam in amongst their stunning open-air art exhibition, and House of Iris with a Brisbane-themed photography exhibit that celebrates and connects the rising local photography scene. Don't miss the BSAF x Felon's Party which will showcase Brisbane's graffiti trailblazer Sofles' artwork on a beer can that carries an exclusive BSAF brew.
The  workshop program offering has more than doubled since the previous year  and welcomes the public of all ages and backgrounds to get involved and  express themselves creatively. New additions to the public program  include Yarn Bombing and an Intro to Tufting.
Lord  Mayor Adrian Schrinner said the Brisbane Street Art Festival was an  unmissable event on the city's cultural calendar and a chance to  celebrate the local creative industry. "Brisbane's street art scene is  growing because of this fantastic fortnight-long festival, which has  spent years building Brisbane's profile as an internationally-renowned  city of murals," Cr Schrinner said.
"Turning  walls, bridges and buildings into a canvas, Brisbane is home to so many  talented street artists and this festival is a chance to celebrate the  creative sector while welcoming influential national and international  artists to our city. This year promises the biggest program yet and I  encourage residents to support our creative community by heading along  to the exciting range of workshops, performances and new murals on  offer."
BSAF  acknowledges the traditional Custodians of the lands on which we live  and work, in particular, the Jagera and Turrbal peoples whose country is  where the festival now stands. BSAF understands that creativity and art  have played and continue to play a very important role on these lands  since time immemorial.
BSAF is thankful for the support received from the Australian Government through the Restart Investment to Sustain and Expand (RISE) Fund and is proudly sponsored by Brisbane City Council.