Young & Free: Australian Contemporary Street Artists at 941 Geary in San Francisco

“I like renegades – there’s something so attractive about their natural instinct to defy convention.” Anon.

Young & Free will be the most significant exhibition by Australian street artists ever seen in the United States. The show will feature fresh work by thirteen of Australia’s finest urban art guerrillas – from the already internationally acclaimed to the burgeoning up-and-comers.
This tribe of artists comes from a variety of backgrounds: brilliant new work by notorious 80’s train painters through to the sublime subtlety of a modern day Rembrandt armed with a spray can.

Young & Free is a reflection of Australia’s thriving street culture with a strong grounding in the past and a firm focus on the future. These artists are modern day bushrangers, patrolling the lane from Melbourne to Manhattan.
This show features a mix of direct sprays, stencils and paste-ups, representing the rich and varied groundings from which these artists have grown. No matter their age, medium or style, the Young & Free artists all share one thing in common: they want to give the urban landscape a fresh coat of paint.
There are many similarities between Australia and San Francisco. Both have famous bridges, internationally established street art cultures and, of course, trams. What is different is our beginnings. Australia’s criminal foundations have seeped into our national persona – Aussies are born with a spirit of rebellion. As the opening lines from our national anthem proclaim, ‘Australians all let us rejoice, for we are Young & Free.’

The cans have been capped, the wheat paste stirred, and the stencils packed: this is the most important Australian street art exhibition ever, mate.

GALLERY INFORMATION
Established in 2010 in the Tenderloin District of San Francisco, 941 Geary is an innovative exhibition space housed in a 3,000 square foot converted warehouse. 941 Geary highlights the works of internationally recognized contemporary artists and provides them with a space in which to activate the projects, installations, and exhibitions that push the boundaries of their own creative practice.
Building on the success of White Walls and Shooting Gallery, founder Justin Giarla dedicates this exhibition space as a gift to San Francisco, offering its programming to local and international artists as a way to engage in a cross-cultural dialogue and present 941 Geary as the flagship gallery of the Urban Contemporary genre.

Event Information:
Young & Free: Australian Contemporary Street Artists
Opening Reception – September 10, 2011, 6-9 pm
On View through October 22, 2011,
@ 941 Geary
941 Geary St, San Francisco, CA
www.941geary.com
WWW.YOUNGANDFREEART.COM