Visual feast – witness one of the city’s largest art installations at the DETOUR Street Art Festival
Back in the day, graffiti in public spaces was labelled as vandalism. Let’s be honest though – there was a time when there was a lot of Bart Simpson-style ‘eat my shorts’ tagging going on around the place, which kind of gave street art a bit of a bad reputation. Thankfully, society was quick to realise that when a paint brush or spray can gets into the right set of hands, magical things can happen. While we’ve seen plenty of colourful works pop up across town, one of the city’s biggest art installations is about to unfold – it’s all happening as part of the DETOUR Street Art Festival from April 3–15 and you (yes, you) are invited to witness the wizardry firsthand.
The DETOUR Street Art Festival will bring some of the country’s most renowned artists together to create 12 genre-bending street-art installations over 13 paint-fuelled days. So, what’s their canvas? Well, each artist will be let loose across Robina Town Centre and will transform everyday shopping spaces into eye-popping works of art. The colour will be dropped by big-name street artists Keill Tillman, Luke Day, John Kaye, Gimiks Born, Art-work Agency, Frank & Mimi, Drapl & Treas, Hansen and Mike Shankster. These insanely talented locals will join internationally renowned artist Solfes, widely regarded for his distinctive pieces and bold use of colour, who will leave his mark on the Gold Coast as the festival’s guest artist. DETOUR is a unique chance to witness some of the best in the business create masterpieces from start to finish, right in front of your eyes – Rome wasn’t built in a day, so expect to be lured back for a few visits to watch this progressive installation come to life.
While you’re at it, treat your earholes as well as your eyes with sweet tunes from a rotating line-up of local musicians on The Live Lawn, which will be set up on The Promenade at Robina Town Centre from April 3–15. Plus, there will be a pop-up bar and beer garden sprouting up on the lawn by the beer-swilling legends from Malt House for those (like us) that are partial to a sneaky daytime frothy. Don’t fret if you’ve got the little people in tow – let them unleash their creativity at the The Mini Art Lab while you enjoy 30 glorious minutes kid-free. If you’re overdue for good dose of arts, culture, music and beer-garden hangs, then these 13 days should well and truly fill up your cup.
To find out more about what’s on in the Gold Coast, head to our Event Guide.
