Arty Graffarti

One of Melbourne’s most loved and respected street artists Rone opened his second solo show at Backwoods on Friday night, making it yet another good way to start the weekend. Rone alone has been a very prominent and important figure in Melbourne past and current street art culture, making this show yet another must see for all fans, whether old or new. With a body of work that would make most traditionally trained artists soil their pants, Rone is certainly not falling from anywhere, in fact, the only place this guy has and will continue going, is up.

It’s always exciting when an artist the caliber of Rone finally brings their show down to Melbourne, seeing work so beautiful and refined just doesn’t have the same effect as seeing them on a computer screen from across the globe. There’s always a strange feeling I get when walking up the double storey steps of Backwoods, it’s usually a mixture of excitement and caution, I have no idea what’s lying ahead, but I’m excited to see what it is and it has yet to disappoint. What you will find at ‘Fall From Grace’ is a number of portraits containing the same singular girl staring back at you, she’s beautiful, not just by her own attributes, but the aesthetics Rone has layered within and around her face. Moving away from the stark black and white, pure stencil style of his early work, Rone has officially moved into new visual territories for the better.

Rone has brought something new not only to his work but the canvas they’re presented on, while some are displayed on tradition paper, others were on what I’m assuming were pre-made brick walls. These were easily some of the best works on display as they were the largest and included textures and layering you can only find on the street, with his work being more few and far between on Melbourne’s landscape as of late, this was definately a treat for any of his fans at the show. It’s hard to interpret the work in my own words, I find a lot of his work quite open while being fearless and in your face, letting it speak for itself. It’s very easy to look at and appreciate, but it may remind you of feelings or people you’ve had or known in the past, whether it be hope, fear, sadness or confidence.

I don’t think i need to tell you why you need to see this show in person, it’s really something to behold, catch it before July 15.

Rone

Backwoods Gallery

Ps. I deserve a fucking medal for getting these photo’s, the place was rammed.