No artist is more dedicated than the graffiti artist…
They cannot cut their teeth on a canvas or a kiln. Their medium is the physical shell of civilisation and society itself, and their message often a comment upon it. And perhaps paradoxically so, entirely illegal.
And none know this more than Ballarat graffiti artist, Cax One.
After 15 years of simultaneous notoriety and anonymity, depending on which side of the law you fell on, Cax was eventually charged with over 200 offences as the central target of Operation ‘Centaur’, a six-month police operation into the Ballarat graffiti subculture.
But chaos is always the precursor to evolution. And for graffiti artists especially, a necessary evil. The years of perceived destruction, that ended in an intensive corrections order, inspired a new era of constructive artistry that has Cax on a new path to infamy.
In the last 5 years, Cax has taken what he learnt on the streets and put it to use in galleries, workshops and events across the country.
In between drawing the largest ever opening attendance at Ballarat’s Red Brick Gallery, painting live murals at the iconic Falls Festival and producing work as part of a national campaign for Telstra, Cax spends significant time mentoring young artists and at risk youth in both Ballarat and Melbourne.
His immense transformation has been documented in a short film by Michelle Dunn which featured on ABC Open, and his work has featured in Inside Street Art and Street Art: Australia, two books chronicling Australia’s most influential street artists.
He’s even produced pieces for the Greens political party and had a mural of hip hop supergroup, Wu Tang Clan, go viral after the group itself shared it via social media.
With unbridled passion and an immense dedication to his craft, Cax will be making tidal waves throughout the Australian art community for years to come.