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 Inertia/Force/Change/Inertia
An exhibition by “Jamin”
Criterion Street Gallery
Criterion St, Hobart
Until September 6
Criterion Street is fast shaping up to be Hobart's new cultural precinct.
Boasting some of the funkiest new cafés this side of Salamanca, along with left-of-centre boutiques like Ultravox and the fabulous artistic paradise that is Pocket Space, this central Hobart backstreet is the place to be seen in old Hobart town.
It is also, for the next couple of moths, the place to see some ultra-edgy, Banksy-esque graffiti inspired punk rock artwork. How's that for a visual arts subgenre!
To put it more simply, the Criterion Street Gallery is exhibiting some quite fabulously subversive, visually captivating work, by emerging Tasmanian artist, “Jamin”. That's it. Just the one name. How rock and roll is that?
Favouring offbeat beanie masks that would put incognito rockers like Slipknot and TISM to shame, “Jamin” obviously likes to let his work speak for himself. This much we do know about him: he is Hobartian. He also works as a freelance graphic and web designer, a musician, and as a sessional teacher at the Tasmanian School of Art, University of Tasmania. He is the Chair of INFLIGHT AR.I. in Hobart, and a partner in Red Wall Gallery, Hobart.
Other than that, from what we can see beneath the beanie, he has a beard.
Thankfully, his work is so captivating, it doesn't matter what he looks like.
Concentrating primarily on political and social commentary, represented in bold, dynamic stencil work that is reminiscent of the famous British, possibly not so incognito one-named graffiti artist, Banksy, “Jamin's” work is very much of the moment, and very much unlikely to be launched by the Tasmanian premier, whose portrait is titled Inertia One, or the former PM, whose severed head is seen being grasped by what little hair he has by a scowling Paris Hilton. Internet Killed the Video Star is the title of this work, perhaps a comment on the notorious Kevin 07 juggernaut that captured the imagination of the Youtube set, to the detriment of “old school Howard”.
Great Black Hope, Barack Obama fares better in Jamin's estimation, allocated the (hopeful) title of Change to his portrait.
It is obvious that it is change that Jamin is striving for in today's political climate. Hopefully, as eyes turn from fashion bloggers like Paris Hilton's quasi-namesake, Perez, back to renegade artists like Banksy, Jamin's bold artistic indictments might start to leap off their canvasses and into the public consciousness.
Go and see his exhibition. Then pop along to Pocket Space or Ultravox for some new threads or locally-produced curiosities; then maybe to one of the happening cafés as a grand finale to your Criterion Street day. Support the artists, storeholders and baristas who are shaking Hobart up a bit. Get rid of your inertia. Vote one for change.
See www.criteriongallery.com.au as the first step in your life-changing Criterion experience.
Go to www.jamin.com.au/php/index.php for more info on Jamin.
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