BOHIE & Smalls on the power of paint, toxic behaviour and the gender experience in street art
Revisiting a 2022 interview featuring a deep dive into my experience as a female street artist and the resulting public mural “Fair Dinkum (RIP Toxic Masculinity)”. SMALLS and I unpack the public responses to both of our political activism through our work, and our own gendered experiences of this.
“BOHIE & Smalls on the Mustard Flats Podcast EP30 Artists @bohie & @iwritesmalls join us in the flats to talk about the power of paint, toxic behaviour and the gender experience in the street art world.
We discuss the RIP Toxic Masculinity piece that was removed from Surface Festival last week and the Ash Barty mural that served up a social media storm.
After travelling Europe and North America while developing her skills as a traditional sign writer, Bohie brought her arts practice home to Braidwood to live and work off the grid in 2018. With origins in snowboard and skate culture and influenced by the natural world her art hits with impact and colour whatever surface it falls. Also running Red Hat Design Co with friend of the show Faith Kerehona they aim to challenge archaic social constructs through their work.
Having failed art class in high school James Smalls has come a long way painting around the country and working with brands like Nike, Under Armour, Rebel Sport. He is a master of the aerosol, heavily influenced by hip hop, sport, graffiti and tattooing. Great to have Smalls back in his hometown where his artistic journey began on walls at home with crayon and on the school desks with sharpies.
Both artists are inspiring the next generation of creators through workshops and youth programs and their work aims to inform and better the community. This episode does exactly that with a vulnerable and open convo that left us inspired. Enjoy.”