March 2009: Auckland and Melbourne with Seek

In 2006, I went to New Zealand and it changed my life. The landscape, the culture, the people: everything was fabulous. I watched the Tri Nations rugby final in Auckland, wandered through art galleries in Wellington, and rode from Christchurch to Queenstown on the back of a motorcycle. During this trip, I also started to snap street art photos on a regular basis. While the 18 hour plane ride puts a damper on impromptu visits, I hope to return someday to reunite with Megs, Mitch, Maz, and the rest of my former crew.

On that return trip, I'll be on the lookout for work by Seek, a Kiwi artist based in Auckland who's painting all over the South Pacific. He writes:

"I paint because I love it; I need to paint. If I wasn't doing something semi-creative, getting fiddly with my hands, drawing or making a mess on a wall, I don't know where I'd be right now. Maybe I’d be in a vegetative state. I know it sounds stereotypical, but art fuels my soul! Art makes me who I am and keeps me going."

"I’ve exhibited my work throughout New Zealand, Australia, and the U.S.A. In 2008, I was a special guest at Kuala Lumpur's Meeting of Styles. In 2007, as part of the Vultures of Culture Collective (comprised of Kidd Creyola, Piss and myself), we won the People’s Choice Award for painting a mural within the Auckland Art Gallery.

My style is something that's naturally developed and has grown with me as long as I can remember. I'm a bit of a people watcher and am intrigued by the mysterious characters that lurk throughout our cities. My friends and family also come through in my work.  

My latest travel ventures inspired my recent works: the crazy antics you get up to exploring a new nation, exposing yourself to other cultures, and understanding their ways of life."  

"'East to West' was the first mural I painted in New Zealand after a three month trip through Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and Malaysia.  Amazing countries, incredible food! The people are something else as well: genuine, good, beautiful people!" 

“The next image is titled 'The Elephant King'. I got a little crafty with the old jigsaw and a couple of cans of paint. This little baby elephant stands about 1.5m high, and hangs out in random gardens. Cutouts are always good fun. I like the act of creating an image that stands on its own, almost as if it has jumped off a wall.”   

"I created this piece for The Nameless Skate Deck Show II in Auckland, NZ." 

"The next image is a wall I painted in Melbourne, Australia, along with Melbourne artist Adnate, Drew, a Malaysian writer currently living in Melbourne, and Perth artist Kidzoom. It was a fun jam and an amazing opportunity to paint with those guys. I went for a twisted zombie angels and demons approach for this one."  

"The last image was a lonesome mission in my hometown. Here’s the king of the mountain, watching over all of us. Our good friends at the council rolled out this guy within 24 hours! Glad I got a good snap of that one!"

 "Cheers for the opportunity to be on your blog! Keep up the mad work!"

All images courtesy of Seek. Want to see more? Check out his MySpace.

Thanks, Seek! And to all my Kiwis (at home or abroad), thank you so much for reading and spread the word! Get ready for a big Friday post tomorrow...