Stencil Graffiti Capital: Melbourne by Jake Smallman, Carl Nyman. What has happened to turn Melbourne into a stencilled graffiti capital? When did this happen and who is responsible? Furthermore, why stencils? Isn’t the use of stencils a bit of a cheat? Stencil Graffiti Capital answers all these questions and more with a visual celebration for several artists and the themes which dominate their work. Interviews with the likes of Civilian, Dlux, and Ha-Ha illustrate how and why these artists live in, moved to, or visit Melbourne to practice their street art. Full-page and double-spread visual treatments within the book illustrate the artists’ basic themes, which focus on politics, symbols, love/sex and war/death.

According to the authors, Jake Smallman and Carl Nyman, the new trend toward stencilled work in Melbourne began in 1999 when graffiti artist Psalm tickled Melbourne’s walls with “intricately detailed, vibrantly colored and visually arresting” work. His work was followed by Ha Ha’s roughly cut, one-layer stencils which usually were painted in black. Syn and Dlux moved their graffiti skills to Melbourne from Adelaide in 2002, and they brought with them an influence which bonded the disparate talents already in residence.

Commercialism of street art, especially stencilled work, is contentious and Stencil Graffiti Capital addresses these issues. The use of stencils instead of free-form spraying, in my opinion, is no worse than the fact that Norman Rockwell used slides projected onto his canvases to help render his realistic paintings. His practice - once discovered by the art world - evolved into a debate over the difference between commercial work and fine art during the mid-twentieth century; however, this debate fizzled once technology altered how artists rendered their work…it’s difficult for a fine artist to criticize commercial work when he uses computers to render his digital images.

The debates over legality/commercialism of stencilled street art might fizzle or continue to build, which is one of the interesting aspects to this movement. The other highlight includes the fact that these stencilled works aren’t amateurish. Not surprisingly, the majority of street artists included in this book have graphic design or fine art backgrounds, an aspect that lends sophistication to the work. This background also supplies an understanding to the transition from the street to galleries. If this debate boils down to the fact that the “medium is the message,” then street art is, perhaps, a marketing ploy for what is considered a new art form.

The fact that the street artists sign their work, that they are willing to be photographed in the process of building their work, that there is a Web site devoted to the who, what, when, where, how, and why of stencilled street art all lend credence to the fact that Melbourne’s streets have become visual marketing for these artists. While this fact might leave a bitter taste in the mouth of some artists and officials, the mere idea that a metropolis could be influenced by street artists to the point that illegal activities are basically overlooked - at least for the moment - seems to be the real revolution.

While Stencil Graffiti Capital: Melbourne could be seen as part and parcel of this trend in commercialization of graffiti art and artists, the book is needed to explain this trend and Melbourne’s part in an artistic evolution. Additionally, the book becomes a visual record of a trend which waxes and wanes with politics and artistic whims. The writing is succinct, clear, and sticks to the facts. The writers and editors forged categories for the artwork, an idea that refuses to glorify any one artist and which offers the reader a banquet of styles and canvases used by the artists. The only missing information in this book is the actual dimensions of the artwork, although the photographs at times reveal the size in proportion to buildings and individuals.

This book will appeal not only to artists, art lovers, and political guerrillas; it could add a significant contribution to any anthropologist’s or historian’s bookshelf as it addresses issues about the intent, talent, time, and politics which continue to influence every aspect of what is often considered illegal public property defacement.