Censor it or take it down: Melbourne’s ‘Kama Sutra burger’ reveals tensions over street art and graffiti

HAS the controversy over a huge wall-sized image of a burger, and its unique filling, highlighted our sensitivity about street art?

Street art on exterior walls of fabric warehouse owned by Dean Sunshine in Brunswick, Melbourne.

THE creator of a three storey high piece of street art in Melbourne, featuring naked and writhing bodies, has been told to cover up the bits considered most rude or face having the painting removed.

The so-called ‘Kama Sutra burger’ appeared on the side of a Brunswick fabric shop last month and has raised eyebrows ever since. Produced by street artist Mike Makatron, who has said the work is a comment on how sex is simply a selling tool, the whopper of a piece features a giant burger with all the usual trimmings.

But rather than beef patties between the sesame seed buns are a multitude of, well … bare naked buns.

Moreland City Council officials confirmed to news.com.au that on Friday they ordered Makatron to add in some extra ingredients to cover the bodies or risk the removal of the entire mural.

The stoush has highlighted the continued tension surrounding street art and graffiti which, released from the clinical confines of a gallery, can invade our daily lives and divide opinions.

STREET ART ‘SWEET COUSIN’ OF GRAFFITI

Using walls as canvas’ is an increasingly popular pastime. Last month, Wollongong’s Wonderwalls wrapped up which saw 15 walls painted by artists, while in March the Victorian country town of Benalla hosted the inaugural Wall to Wall Street Art Festival.

The driving force behind Wall to Wall was Shaun Hossack who encouraged artists such as Rone and Guido Van Helten to take part.

Mr Hossack, who is creative director of Melbourne street artist management agency Juddy Roller, says the enormous artworks can be “transformative” not only improving the local environment but those within the scene.

Artist Sofles in front of his giant Graffiti Mapped mural created for 2015’s Melbourne White Night festival. Picture Yuri Kouzmin

“I didn’t fit into the typical country mould of footy and a trade so [street art] really opened up a different avenue,” he told news.com.au

Juddy Roller now works with clients ranging from local councils to shopping centres matching them up with the city’s growing band of street artists to bring walls to life.

A highlight has been an enormous installation created by cutting edge street artist Sofles for Melbourne’s White Night.

The definition between graffiti and street art is blurred, Mr Hossack said.

“Street art is the sweet cousin of graffiti and graffiti is the naughty guy that nobody likes but you can’t have one without the other.”

Melbourne’s strong street art scene was only possible because of its active graffiti scene, he said.

“All of the best guys started doing illegal graffiti.”

GRAFFITI ARTISTS FORCED TO CLEAN OWN WORK

But there is a renewed vigour to crack down on graffiti, particularly tagging.

Last month, Western Australia’s Police Minister Liza Harvey announced a new stand-alone graffiti vandalism offence. Perpetrators could face two years behind bars and a $24,000 fine. At a minimum, graffiti artists will be forced to wash away their own work.

“Offenders will understand the effort it takes to clean and plenty of time to rethink their unacceptable behaviour,” said Mrs Harvey who stated graffiti removal cost $8 million annually.

Sam Conti business owner of the Catering Company in front of his business where the walls have been a constant target of tagging. The City of Yarra are reducing the funding provided for graffiti removal.

Meanwhile, Sydney Trains has placed sensors on carriages which can recognise aerosol odours. The transport operator said 30 people had been arrested after the new machines literally sniffed them out.

According to the graffiti policy of Moreland Council, in which the controversial Kama Sutra burger is located, the line between street art and graffiti is simple — the former is done with the permission of the building owner, the latter isn’t.

But when asked by news.com.au if council would automatically remove an illegal piece created by, say, renowned British street artist Banksy, Mayor Meghan Hopper agreed it wasn’t so black and white.

“It would be a very difficult question,” she said, “with an artist like Banksy you’re not going to be able to sit down and negotiate.”

Mayor Hopper said council’s policy was that any exterior art deemed to be obscene could be painted over so, “the ball’s in Makatron’s court,” as to whether he made changes to prevent that outcome.

However, she hoped a resolution could be found that could preserve the piece, one of series of monumental burgers created by Makatron, “I haven’t enjoyed the idea that I’ll be that mayor that censors art, that’s not the person I am.”

Owner of Rathdowne Fabrics, Dean Sunshine, said it was certain aspects of the sexual nature of the burger which were causing complaints about the art which is displayed on his business’ wall.

While he understood the concerns of residents, he said forcing any artist to alter their work was problematic.

“It’s up to the artist if he wants to have his image censored or let council paint over it.”

Mr Sunshine, who runs the landofsunshine blog and has published his second book Street Art Now on the subject, has allowed artists to paint the walls of his warehouse for six years.

“They love a wall they can paint without getting thrown into jail.”

Dean Sunshine (left), who runs a fabric retailer in Brunswick, Melbourne with his father Morre encourages street artists to use the warehouse’s walls as a blank canvas.

The public’s view of the difference between graffiti and street art was too stark, he said.

“You have graffiti artists perfecting their work for years and they’re still treated as vandals whereas as a street artist will paint a face on wall and people go ‘ooh that’s amazing’”

Burger bust-up aside, Mr Sunshine said the only major complaints he had received regarded paint fumes.

“You can’t make everybody happy. I’m just trying to provide an outdoor gallery people can enjoy for free,” he said.

“Would you prefer to look at a plain grey wall or a wall with amazing street art on it?”

Originally published as Censor it or take it down: Melbourne’s ‘Kama Sutra burger’ reveals tensions over street art and graffiti