Showcasing Aotearoa's Urban Art Scene - From The Streets To The Gallery

The Most Dedicated: An Aotearoa Graffiti Story and the TMD Street Art Festival

The first major public museum display of street art collective, TMD Crew, The Dowse Art Museum presents the work of the twenty-one internationally acclaimed street artists in 'The Most Dedicated: An Aotearoa Graffiti Story'.

Opening to the public on 27 March 2021, 'The Most Dedicated: An Aotearoa Graffiti Story' exhibition is part of their 50th anniversary celebrations.

The exhibition aims to make street art accessible, providing an opportunity for the public to learn about its evolution as a contemporary art genre through the lens of Aotearoa’s most prolific urban street art crew.

"The transcendent nature of graffiti crosses many social divides… as its members have evolved as people, started families, encountered hardship and success the bond built through a common interest has brought a powerful sense of cohesion," says PHAT1, TMD Crew member.

'The Most Dedicated: An Aotearoa Graffiti Story' will include artworks, audio visual displays, interactive elements and nostalgic settings from the crew's past, as well as a section dedicated to post-graffiti artwork.

"This exhibition is extremely significant because it’s the first exhibition for TMD Crew in a public art institution," says Karl Chitham, Director for The Dowse Art Museum and curator of the exhibition.

'The Most Dedicated: An Aoteaora Graffitti Story' opens at the same time as a four day Street Art Festival where the artists from TMD Crew will move out of the gallery space and onto the streets. 13 TMD Crew members will paint 6 large scale murals in Te Awa Kairangi’s CBD, adding to the existing impressive collection of street art around the city. The TMD: Street Art Festival will have the artists paint the murals live giving audiences a chance to interact directly with the artists as they paint.

Across the exhibition at The Dowse and the Street Art Festival there will also be supporting events such as art workshops with the TMD Crew, a guided mural walking tour, and panel discussions.

"The Dowse has had a long standing commitment to street art urban culture. We are thrilled to once again showcase street art as one of the many diverse forms of contemporary art we are committed to during our 50th anniversary celebrations.

"This exhibition and festival offers multiple ways for visitors to learn more and interact with this dynamic strand of Aotearoa’s art history," says Chitham.

TMD Crew was founded in 1997 by over 20 graffiti artists, each of whom now have professional art careers in New Zealand, Australia and Germany.

'The Most Dedicated: An Aotearoa Graffiti Story' exhibition, will be on until 2 August and the 'TMD: Street Art Festival' will be held between 27 to 30 March.

More information on both can be found at dowse.org.nz.

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